Nosy Crow snaps up 2016 United Agents Prize winning debut Kirsty Applebaum in a pre-empt - Nosy Crow Skip to content
Posted by Tom, September 14, 2017

Nosy Crow snaps up 2016 United Agents Prize winning debut Kirsty Applebaum in a pre-empt

Nosy Crow is delighted to announce the acquisition of two books from debut writer, Kirsty Applebaum. The first of these, The Middler, won the 2016 United Agents Prize for Most Promising Writing for Young People, and will be published in 2019.

The Middler is a gripping story for 9-12 year-olds of forbidden friendship, loyalty and betrayal set in a near-future world.

Kirsty Applebaum is a recent graduate of the MA in Writing for Young People at Bath Spa University, and lives in Winchester with her family.

Kirsty Stansfield says: ‘The quality of the writing is superb. I was immediately drawn into Maggie’s world and wanted to know all about her, and the quiet menace underpinning everything.”

Kate Wilson says: “It had me at the first page – such a great voice! It’s unusual to find such perfectly-pitched middle-grade fiction, and I think it has real international potential.”

Kirsty Applebaum says: “It’s been quite a summer! My fabulous agent, Nancy Miles, secured a deal with Nosy Crow and found the perfect home for The Middler. The whole team has embraced the world of the book and they all love Maggie, Jed and Trig as much as I do. I’m very excited to be working with such a friendly, energetic and innovative publisher.”

Nancy Miles says: “When I read the first three lines of The Middler, I knew I’d found something special. I also knew we’d found the right home for Kirsty and her debut when the team at Nosy Crow leapt into action within 48 hours of submission with wholesale, cross company excitement and a clear publishing vision for Maggie and her world.”

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