Pan Macmillan acquires Vic Prem’s Unpublished Manuscript winner

Pan Macmillan has acquired The Dry by Jane Harper, the winner of the 2015 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript, in a three-book deal from Clare Forster at Curtis Brown.

The Dry tells the story of a special investigator Aaron Falk, who returns to his drought-stricken home town of Kiewarra for his best friend’s funeral and finds himself investigating a multiple homicide.

Harper said in a statement that she was ‘thrilled’ with the deal and that it was a ‘dream to see [her] novel come to life’. ‘As a debut author, it’s fantastic to have the opportunity to work with an editor like [Pan Macmillan publishing director] Cate Paterson and such an outstanding team,’ she said.

Paterson said she was ‘immediately hooked by the story’. ‘Jane’s writing is assured and engrossing. She reveals just enough – but not too much – to keep you turning the pages, but doesn’t sacrifice nuance or depth in doing so,’ said Paterson.

Harper’s manuscript has also attracted interest from overseas. In a statement, Forster said the manuscript has seen ten foreign rights sales. ‘Winning the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award Prize for an Unpublished Manuscript made a great start for Jane’s novel The Dry, and it has been very exciting to see this book take off around the world,’ said Forster.

The Dry is scheduled for publication in 2016.

Category: Local news Rights and acquisitions