A New Book Deal
Including some actual news in this so-called newsletter!
Don’t you just love a good audiobook? Above and beyond the joy of the story being told, there’s a unique pleasure in being read to. For me, it stirs happy memories of bedtime stories as a child. But it surely goes back much further than that, into the collective unconscious, and to a time when all stories were recited aloud. Bards holding court with their histories. Tribal elders telling tales at the fireside.
In any case, narrated stories are great! So I’m beyond delighted to announce that Bolinda, the brilliant publisher of audiobooks, has just bought the rights to my Blind Bowman trilogy.
Bolinda are about to start casting for the narrator, and plan to release the first book, Shadow of the Wolf, sometime next year. It will go out on Audible and Spotify and all the usual platforms, and will be available in English-speaking countries worldwide.
I couldn’t be happier about this. Many people have asked if there will be official audio versions of these novels, and I’m overjoyed to now tell them yes. What’s more, I think The Blind Bowman will be a particularly good fit for audio. As a dark fantasy retelling of the Robin Hood myths, these novels are immersive and atmospheric. Put your headphones on, dim the lights, and be transported back to the primal, magical realm of Sherwood Forest!
Once Bolinda have confirmed release dates, readers of this newsletter will be the first to know!
In the meantime, in celebration of audiobooks, I’d like to recommend a few I’ve enjoyed:
Danny Champion of the World, by Roald Dahl, narrated by Timothy West, published by Puffin Audio
I was read this as a boy and it’s stayed with me vividly down the years. Danny lying in bed in his caravan, his father telling him stories by lamplight. The pair of them creeping through the dark woods, listening for the gamekeeper with his shotgun. On a long car journey recently, my wife and I revisited the story with our own children – listening to it read in splendid style by the late Timothy West. It was every bit as wondrous and exciting as I remembered
The Sisters Brothers, by Patrick deWitt, narrated by William Hope, published by W. F. Howes
If you haven’t yet discovered this Booker-nominated tale of the Wild West, now is the time. And audiobook is the way. The prose is elegant and spare, and lends itself perfectly to being read aloud. William Hope’s sonorous tones accentuate the gritty atmosphere. An absolute pleasure
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson, abridged, narrated by Martin Wenner, published by Quercus
I wouldn’t normally choose the abridged version of a story, but in this case it’s a real bonus of the audiobook form. Stieg Larsson’s story features fantastic characterisation, gripping plots and set pieces, but in my opinion the books are bloated. The abridged version cuts out the fat and leaves you with a story that packs maximum punch. Gripping from first word to last
War of the Worlds, by Jeff Wayne, CBS Records
Okay, so technically an album rather than an audiobook, but I make no apologies for including it here. I found it on cassette, when I was about eight, and listened to it on my walkman, in bed, lights off, awestruck and frightened and amazed. What was this?! Where could I get more of it? To this day, for all its bombastic ridiculousness, listening to this version of H.G. Well’s classic invasion story still sends a shiver down my spine
How about you? Do you listen to audiobooks? Any you’d recommend?
Thanks for being here, and happy listening!
Tim
P.S. These deals don’t happen by themselves. A huge thank you to my agent James Wills and associate agent Ciara McEllin at Watson, Little Ltd for bringing it all together. They are fine people to have in my corner
P.P.S. Bolinda are the creators of Borrowbox, an app that allows you to borrow audiobooks from your local library. If you like the sound of that, take a look here
P.P.P.S. Coincidently,
, creator of the brilliant, bestselling Bunny Vs Monkey comics, and star author at my publishers David Fickling Books, also announced an audiobook deal this week, doubly coincidently with Bolinda:
P.P.P.P.S. My favourite read on Substack this week was
’s great piece about finding the ‘why’ of your story. A must-read for anyone who writes fiction:
Very exciting, sorry I’m so late to this news. I’m a big fan of BorrowBox, and also the War of the Worlds album. The audiobook that stands out for me is the Jasper Fforde novel, Early Riser - sadly I forget the narrator’s name, Thomas something perhaps. He gave it an extra layer of excellence in his reading, anyway.
I prefer to read but know plenty of people who prefer audiobooks. Also, the idea of dim lights, headphones and atmospheric listening sounds great. 👏