Zaffre, the flagship fiction imprint of Bonnier Books UK, has acquired UK & Commonwealth rights for Lia Louis’ Better Left Unsent and one other novel.
Sarah Bauer, editorial director for Zaffre, brokered the two-book deal with Juliet Mushens of Mushens Entertainment following a three-way auction. North American rights were previously sold to Emily Bestler at Emily Bestler Books and Jenny Bent at the Bent Agency.
Better Left Unsent poses the toe-curling question: what if one day you woke to find all your draft emails had been sent? (Including that one love declaration meant for your ex-boyfriend – the only man you’ve ever loved…)
Louis’ hilarious romantic comedy follows receptionist Millie Chandler in the aftermath of a server outage at work where this very nightmare becomes a reality. As every truth, secret and darkest thought she’s worked so hard to password protect are catapulted out into the open, Millie must fix the chaos her words have caused, and face everything she’s ever swept under the carpet.
Sarah Bauer said: ‘I’ve long been a fan of Lia’s writing from afar, so I am absolutely delighted to be working together. I think everyone has had an embarrassing tech communication mishap – hopefully not as severe as Millie’s! – so Better Left Unsent is hugely relatable but also witty, warm and romantic. Romcoms are having a moment and I know readers are really going to fall for this hilarious and delightful high-concept romantic comedy.’
Lia Louis said: ‘I could not be more thrilled, nor more excited about working with Sarah Bauer and the incredible Bonnier Books UK team. I’ll always remember the moment I had the idea of someone’s draft emails accidentally being sent all at once – it of course filled me with enormous second-hand anxiety! But mostly, excitement about where such a concept could go, and I feel so lucky to have such a dynamic team at the helm. It’s an absolute dream come true to be able to continue writing for readers, both old and new, and I can’t wait for Better Left Unsent to make its way into their hands.’
Juliet Mushens said: ‘Lia’s writing goes from strength to strength and the concept of all my draft emails being sent out without me knowing made my blood run cold! There was so much passion for Lia’s work during the auction and I’m excited to see Bonnier Books UK build her further.’
Better Left Unsent will be published in paperback original, audio and eBook in April 2024
