Piccadilly Press, an imprint of Bonnier Books UK, has acquired a hilarious and unforgettable story of an accidental time traveller by Andy Jones.
In her first acquisition for Piccadilly Press, Ruth Bennett, Senior Commissioning Editor, acquired world and audio rights for two books from Mark Stanton at The North Literary Agency.
The first title, Bob Vs The Selfie Zombies, publishing in paperback in February 2023, tells the story of Bob’s rock band going head-to-head in the school talent show with genius inventor Eno Fezzinuff. Bob’s determined to win – and that’s before he realises the future of the world is at stake. Andy Jones is the author of kids’ creative-writing guide, Unleash Your Creative Monster. This is his first foray into funny Middle Grade fiction and is perfect for readers of 8 and up.
Andy Jones said “Bob Vs The Selfie Zombies started as a character sketch written in the back of a notebook over fifteen years ago. It lay there not-entirely-forgotten until my two daughters graduated from picture books to ‘proper stories’ and I decided to write something for them. I started with a list of the things I found most interesting as a child (and, truth be told, still get a huge kick out of as an adult). The first two items on the list were time travel and zombies. I didn’t get to number 3! I’m so grateful to my agent Stan for his support, and to Ruth for seeing the potential in our story and bringing Bob (and the zombies) to life.”
Ruth Bennett added: “We’re delighted to be publishing Andy Jones’s Bob Vs The Selfie Zombies – launching him as a major new talent in funny Middle Grade fiction. Bob bounces into the future and back again, but he has bounced into my heart to stay. Andy has used his boundless imaginative powers to create an unforgettable story of bands, banana bread and zombies that get just a little bit bitey! As my first acquisition for the Piccadilly Press list, this book aligns perfectly with our plans to publish fantastic stories that children will be begging to read, filled with friendship, fantasy and a whole lot of fun!”
Andy Jones began his career as an author writing novels for adults about grown-up stuff about falling in love, falling out of love, falling in love again and having babies. More recently, he has been writing books for children. Andy’s books are funny, dramatic and unpredictable. They might even make you think. He lives on the outskirts of London with his wife, daughters and an assortment of other creatures.
