Quercus Publishing Plc, the PLUS-quoted publishing company, announced outstanding sales of overseas territorial rights in two of its recent acquisitions, Journal of Helene Berr and Genesis.
After a fierce auction between six different publishing houses, Weinstein Books bought the US rights to 'Journal of Helene Berr' from Quercus. The book is an uplifting journal of an intelligent and courageous young woman, Helene Berr, in occupied Paris. Helene was a student of English Literature at the Sorbonne in Paris. She was deported to Auschwitz in 1944 with her mother and father, and she died in Bergen-Belsen in April 1945, just a few weeks before the liberation of the camp. 'Journal of Helene Berr', which is being translated from French by David Bellos, has already been sold in ten languages and will be published in the UK by Quercus in October 2008.
At this month's Bologna Book Fair, 'Genesis', a prize-winning novel by Bernard Beckett, was pronounced 'The Book of the Fair' by the Bookseller. Quercus more than recouped a substantial advance they paid for world rights (excluding Australia & New Zealand) with deals in 5 territories. Since the Bologna Book Fair, Quercus has already sold rights in a number of countries, including France, Italy, Greece, US, Brazil and Finland, and are auctioning rights in 3 further territories. 'Genesis' is described as a 'prize winning novel of ideas', a collision of ancient philosophy and future history in a provocative thriller. It is due to be published by Quercus in the UK in February 2009.
