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Blue Sky July set to go global as Penguin buys rights

Top publishers Penguin UK and Penguin US have swooped on the paperback rights to buy runaway success Blue Sky July by Nia Wyn. It will be re-issued with a new cover design, under the Michael Joseph imprint on the 7th February 2008 in the UK, and released in the summer of 2008 in America.

Already being hailed by the British media as a "tour-de-force that is taking the literary world by storm," (The Daily Mail), Blue Sky July is topped the list of the bestselling literature titles in Wales.

Michael Joseph m.d Louise Moore said “Seren did a wonderful job in discovering this book, and now we are keen at Penguin to bring it to an even wider audience and give it the legs it deserves. The response to the book after it was selected for BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week and BBC Radio 5 Live Book of the Month has been tremendous and Penguin are thrilled to be a part of this beautifully written story.” It achieved the remarkable distinction of being serialised in two national newspapers and a magazine - The Guardian, The Daily Mail, and Good Housekeeping, and has sold over 10,000 copies.

Nia Wyn who was born in Prestatyn and now lives in Cardiff said: “it’s a very personal book and it was written at a particularly isolated time in my life, so I’m amazed that it’s connecting with people in the way that it is. I’d never attempted a book before, so it’s wonderful to see it being so well-received.”

Blue Sky July has also gained an international reputation, with features on the BBC World Service and a serialisation in The Daily Nation - the national newspaper for Kenya. Nia is also receiving requests from other countries to talk about the book on radio; there was plenty of interest in translation rights at the Frankfurt Bookfair with negotiations now underway with foreign publishers. 
 
It has even reached the prestigious top 25 band on the bestseller list at Amazon recently. Following Simon Mayo’s interview with Nia on his book review programme, Blue Sky July soared up the Amazon bestseller charts to No 21.

Penny Thomas, editor at Seren says “the response to this book has been absolutely stunning. It is appealing to a huge number of readers from all backgrounds. Many have spoken of being deeply moved by this heartrending but also uplifting story. Nia’s lyrical prose has been praised as a ‘hotwire to the emotions’. It can be difficult for books from new authors and small independent publishers to achieve recognition and we are really delighted that Blue Sky July has had such a wonderful and deserved reception from readers and the media.”

Welsh press and broadcast media have also shown plenty of support, with Nia appearing on television on BBC Wales Today, BBC Radio Wales and Wedi 3 on S4C as well as the Western Mail, South Wales Echo, Wales on Sunday and BBC Wales website.

Nia Wyn grew up in Prestatyn, North Wales, and took a BA Hons in Religion at Newcastle University. She has worked as a journalist in newspapers, radio and television in London and Wales.  She lives in Cardiff with Joe, and is taking an MA in creative writing at Cardiff University.