S&S Will Publish Costa Winner

by Andrew Rosenheim, PW Daily -- Publishers Weekly, 2/9/2007

A first novel set in Canada, written by a woman who has never set foot in that country, is the surprise winner of this year’s Costa Book Award, given to the best book first published in the U.K. The Tenderness of Wolves is a mystery novel by Stef Penney set in the wilds of the Canadian North in 1857. The Costa continues the format of its earlier incarnation as the Whitbread prize, with one title shortlisted from each of five categories: best novel, first novel, poetry collection, nonfiction title and children’s book.

Penney’s publisher is Quercus Books, established less than three years ago, with former Random House and Orion CEO Anthony Cheetham as its chairman. Simon & Schuster will publish the book in the U.S. in July. S&S’s Victoria Meyer said the publisher plans to have advanced reader’s copies to booksellers by mid-March to help build support for the title here.