Ken Follett has re-upped his publishing partnership with Hachette Book Group, the company announced today.
The British author's new novel, The Deep and Secret Things, will be published by Hachette's Grand Central in the U.S., with simultaneous co-publishing by Hachette UK's Quercus, on Sept. 21, 2027. Ben Sevier, president and publisher of GCP Group, acquired U.S. and Canada rights directly from the Follett Office, which represents Follett's business interests. Nick Davies, managing director of Quercus, acquired U.K. and commonwealth rights.
Foreign-language editions of The Deep and Secret Things will also be published in Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain, per the publisher.
The Deep and Secret Things will be the second novel that Follett, one of the world's most successful English-language writers, has published with Hachette. In 2024, Follett left a 45-year partnership with Penguin Random House for Hachette to publish Circle of Days, his 2025 epic novel about the origins of Stonehenge. Circle of Days has since been published in 21 languages.
“It has been such a privilege to work with global writing legend Ken Follett,” Sevier said in a statement. “After bringing his acclaimed epic novel Circle of Days to his legions of American readers last year, I am thrilled for the opportunity to publish his newest The Deep and Secret Things and for the GCP team to make it a major publishing event in 2027.”
Follett is best known for his historical epics, including his 1989 megahit Pillars of the Earth, which is set in the Middle Ages. In The Deep and Secret Things, the author will tackle a story set amid the "immense social and industrial change" of the Victorian era, with his typical focus on the lofty themes of "family, religion, greed and ambition," per the publisher. The novel centers on Helena Bowen, a young Welsh noblewoman, whose path becomes entangled with that of the Llewellyns, a seemingly humble family of Quaker wheelmakers.
Hachette CEO David Shelley told PW in 2024 that part of the thinking behind the move to unite HBG and Hachette U.K. under one management structure was to more effectively coordinate global publication for authors like Follett, who have an international readership.
“I am so proud that we will be publishing The Deep and Secret Things on both sides of the Atlantic, and honored that Ken has chosen to continue his publishing relationship with the teams at Grand Central and Quercus," Shelley said in the latest announcement. "He is a unique storyteller and I can't wait to share this book with his many devoted fans.”
