S&S acquires Mildenhall’s ‘The Mother Fault’ in two-book deal

Simon & Schuster (S&S) has acquired ANZ rights at auction to Kate Mildenhall’s ‘genre-busting’ sophomore novel The Mother Fault in a two-book deal, via Pippa Masson at Curtis Brown.

S&S publishing director Fiona Henderson said The Mother Fault takes the next step in imagining a not-too-distant future that is terrifyingly real through the eyes of a mother pushed to extremes to save her family.

‘The Mother Fault reminds me why I love what I do—that wild rush of excitement when you read something that is truly extraordinary,’ said Henderson. ‘Kate has pulled off the impossible: a cracker of a story that also makes you think, big issues made crystal clear in small ways through the eyes of characters we care deeply for, proving just how powerful great storytelling can be.’

Mildenhall, whose debut novel Skylarking (Black Inc.) was longlisted for both the Voss Literary Prize and the Indie Book Awards, said she is ‘beyond thrilled’ to be working with Fiona Henderson and Simon & Schuster. ‘I read the pitch from Simon & Schuster, standing on a rocky ridge above a river in the far north of the country, clinging to my daughter’s hand so she wouldn’t topple over the edge. By the time I’d finished reading I was so excited, I nearly fell off myself. It’s something very special when someone instinctively gets exactly what you are trying to do.’

The Mother Fault will be published in September 2020.

Category: Local news Rights and acquisitions