New Deal for Literary Fantasist
by John F. Baker -- Publishers Weekly, 6/17/2002
Jasper Fforde, an English literary fantasist with an irresistible name, has signed a second two-book contract with Viking after his quirky first novel, The Eyre Affair, became a cult hit: it supposed that the characters of Jane Eyre were kidnapped and held hostage and imagined the impact this would have had on subsequent English Lit. Fforde has found his niche, and was solidified in it by a mid-six-figure deal made by Viking senior editor Molly Stern with Janklow & Nesbit agents Eric Simonoff and Tif Loehnis (in J&N's London office). It was North American rights only, and covers two more in Fforde's frisky vein: The Well of Lost Plots, set for spring 2004, and an untitled book a year later. Meanwhile Lost in a Good Book, under a previous contract, is set to appear next spring.
