Atom Books, the dedicated YA imprint of Little, Brown Book Group, will publish David Owen’s second novel, The Fallen Children, across the entire printing colour spectrum, producing the book in 360 different colourways on every run.
This innovative idea is a first for Little, Brown and opens up exciting opportunities for retailer and reader engagement. The cover design – by Jack Smyth – will be available in 360 different colourways. No one colour will be repeated in every 360 copies that are printed per batch, so that bookshops are guaranteed to stock a selection of colours. Each colourway will be numbered 1 to 360 depending on where it falls on the colour spectrum, and readers will be encouraged to share their ‘number’ via social media.
There will also be one inverted colourway copy per batch – a highly collectable ‘Golden Egg’ edition that comes with a special prize for lucky readers.
The Fallen Children is an ambitious, gripping and brilliantly realised science fiction for young adults by the author of the critically acclaimed Panther, for which Owen was longlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2015. This, Owen’s second novel, is published to coincide with the 60th anniversary of The Midwich Cuckoos, as a contemporary inner-city reimagining of John Wyndham’s 1957 classic.
The Fallen Children is the story of the teenagers from the Midwich Estate who, in one inexplicable ‘Nightout’, have their futures snatched away by circumstances beyond their control. It is a story of violation, of judgement, and of young people who must fight to defy what is expected of them. It publishes on 4th May 2017.
Sarah Castleton, Commissioning Editor for Atom and Corsair, says,
‘David is a talented young writer and he’s not afraid to take on challenging subjects and make them compelling and hugely rewarding. In The Fallen Children he’s found a chilling new way of writing about the world today’s teenagers are faced with. This book is all shades of dark and bright – this cover approach is its perfect complement.’
In further exciting David Owen news, DKW are delighted to announce that the dramatic rights in his first novel, Panther (Atom, 2015) have been optioned by Element Pictures, Oscar-winning producers of Room and The Lobster.
Longlisted for the Carnegie Medal 2016, Panther is a candid and very moving debut about the way depression stalks the lives of both a sufferer and her family.
DKW said: We’re very excited to be working on developing Panther into a film with Element. Their enthusiasm and creative vision make them the perfect team to adapt this extremely special and powerful novel.
David Owen said: “I couldn’t be more thrilled to work on developing Panther for the screen with Element. It really feels like the ideal team to make this something special.”
The deal was handled by JAB Management Ltd on behalf of Diamond Kahn and Woods.
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