Fairlight Books lands Marshall’s publishing industry satire

Fairlight Books lands Marshall’s publishing industry satire
on Sep 28, 2021

Fairlight Books has acquired Fiona Vigo Marshall’s second novel The House of Marvellous Books, a laugh-out-loud ode to the publishing industry. Worldwide rights, including audio, were acquired directly from the author, with publication scheduled for May 2022. The synopsis reads: Tucked away in a near-derelict library in the centre of London, The House of Marvellous Books is a publishing house on the brink of financial disaster. With assistant Ursula asleep at her desk, head publisher Gerard going health and safety mad, and chief editor Drusilla focused on finding a supposedly priceless but famously missing manuscript, there is hardly anyone left to steer the ship. Young Mortimer Blackley, the assistant editor, charts the descent of the house in his logbook as it lurches from one failure to the next. Will mysterious Russian buyers, lurking in the wings, stop the ship from sinking at great cost to all? Or will Drusilla find the legendary Daybreak Manuscript and save the day? Louise Boland, the publisher, said: The House of Marvellous Books is an utterly hilarious and completely original work of fiction, comparable only to Evelyn Waugh’s Scoop. Despite this book being different in tone to Marshall’s first novel, readers are guaranteed the same skilful storytelling found in her debut. Marshall's debut novel Find Me Falling was published by Fairlight Books in 2019 and was shortlisted for the Paul Torday Memorial Prize 2020. Her writing career started in a local newspaper in south London, after which she worked as a journalist in Mexico City. When she returned to London, she worked as a publisher and freelance writer. SOURCE- The Book Seller