We’re kicking things off with two beautiful cover reveals this week. Nuala Ellwood’s new thriller, The Perfect Life is due for publication in March next year by Penguin Random House / Viking.

And the stunning UK paperback cover for C.J. Tudor’s The Other People (Penguin Random House / Michael Joseph) has been revealed. It’s mesmerising and creepy in equal measures…

This brilliant novel is published in paperback in August.

Ben Oliver’s twisty dystopian thriller, The Loop (Chicken House), was included in Buzzfeed‘s round up of “15 Books We’re Loving This Spring“. They said: “Oliver creates a fast-paced thrill ride of a novel.”

It’s been a brilliant week for Helly Acton’s The Shelf (Bonnier Zaffre). Bestselling author Lindsey Kelk gave a fabulous quote, calling it “Fun, fresh and thought-provoking”.

It was also included in Woman and Home: “As addictive as they come, this funny, feminist novel (though the premise sounds far from it) is a summer-must. A book for anyone who has ever felt like they aren’t quite living up to their family, and society’s expectations of them – and for those after a witty, life-affirming page-turner. A breath of fresh air.”

Leah Hazard, author of the brilliant memoir Hard Pushed was on BBC Women’s Hour this week talking about birth in lockdown. Listen in here!

THREE Agency books in a list of 16 have been picked by Waterstones as the debuts of lockdown: Clare Pooley’s The Authenticity Project (Penguin Random House / Transworld), Jane Healey’s The Animals at Lockwood Manor (Macmillan / Mantle) and Stephanie Wrobel’s The Recovery of Rose Gold (Penguin Random House / Michael Joseph).

Good Housekeeping feaured both Clare Pooley’s The Authenticity Project, and Beth Morrey’s Saving Missy (HarperCollins / HarperFiction) in a round up of the “14 of Best Feel-Good Books“.

It was announced this week that The Authenticity Project has sold an incredible 10,000 copies across all formats.

Abbie Greaves, whose stunning debut The Silent Treatment was published last month by Penguin Random House / Cornerstone, was interviewed in The Irish Examiner this week.

Rosanna Ley gave a beautiful quote for Caroline Bishop’s The Other Daughter (Simon & Schuster): “Fascinating and fast-paced, The Other Daughter had me hooked from the start. A timely reminder of how hard it is to succeed in a man’s world”

Rona Halsall’s One Mistake, which was published earlier this month by Bookouture, has hit the 10,000 copies sold milestone in just three weeks. Overall, Rona has sold an incredible 150,000 copies of her novels.

C.L. Taylor’s chilling thriller Strangers (HarperCollins / Avon) is still reigning in the Kindle Top 20 this week, while the audiobook is at No. 6 in the Audio Google Play store.

Manjeet Mann’s Run, Rebel (Penguin Random House Children’s) was included in The TLS this week. They said: “This is a book that still holds out the warm prospect of hope, change and freedom in the future.” 

Katherine Slee’s For Emily was published in paperback this week by Orion.

The final instalment of J.R. Wallis’ Badlands series, The Book of Mysteries, was published this week by Simon & Schuster Children’s.

On the international rights front…

T.A. Willberg’s Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder has gone to Piper in Germany.

Czech rights in Katie Kirby’s The Reinvention of Lottie Brooks have gone to Fragment/Albatros Media.

Peninn, the book store chain in Iceland, has selected Elizabeth Kay’s Seven Lies as its Book of the Month for June!

There’s just three days left to apply for the MM Agency Mentorship scheme. Get more info here – entries close on the 1st June!

And finally, our brilliant Literary Agent, Hayley Steed, took part in The Bookseller‘s “Lockdown Diaries”, where she gave a fantastic account of being an Agent in lockdown. Check it out here.