Irish husband and wife writing team Melissa and Kevin Hill have signed a two book deal with Simon & Schuster for two further novels in their Reilly Steel series. The books will be published in 2013 and 2014.

The couple originally signed for a two book deal in 2010 and the first book, Taboo, was published this year. The second in the series will be released in 2012.

The couple’s agents, Curtis Brown, also announced that the books would be adapted for TV:

Ecosse will produce a forensic-based TV series featuring American-born Reilly Steel – a Quantico trained forensic investigator who comes to Dublin to head up the GFU, a new state-of-the-art Irish crime lab – and Chris Marshall, a city homicide detective who is hiding a mysterious illness.

According to The Bookseller: ‘S&S recently published Taboo by Casey Hill [in the UK], which hit number 3 in the Heatseekers chart in the week ending 15th July.’

Listen to Kevin & Melissa Hill on Dublin’s Talking On Sunshine 106.8 FM

Y Books, the recently formed publisher run by Chenile Keogh and Robert Doran, have sold international publishing rights for their title Paperboy by Tony Macaulay to HarperCollins.

Harper Collins plan to release the new edition in November 2011 in the UK and Australia.

Chenile Keogh, Managing Director/Publisher at Y Books said, ‘We are thrilled that Paperboy will now be brought to an international audience. We knew that this was special book from the moment we read it. We are sure that Harper Collins will do a fantastic job and that Tony will become a household name both at home and abroad.’

The book is about Macaulay’s childhood in the 1970s at the top of the Shankill Road in Belfast, an experience that has shaped his life and inspired his writing.

The deal was brokered by Prizeman & Kinsella Literary Agency and comes on the back of the sale of the film rights to Titian Red Pictures.

The O’Brien Press has sold Russian rights to their best-selling Alice & Megan series of children’s books written by author Judi Curtin. Russian publisher Exmo has bought rights to the first five books in the series.

Talking about the international success of her series, author Judi Curtin commented, ‘I’m really delighted to hear that, once again, Alice and Megan are off to a place I’ve only dreamed of visiting. It’s great to think of children from such a different culture reading about everyday life in Ireland. I hope that one day I’ll be as well-travelled as my characters are.’

The series, which includes seven titles about best friends Alice and Megan and one colourful cookbook ‘penned’ by the duo, has received widespread praise.

Ivan O’Brien, Managing Director of The O’Brien Press said, ‘International success is the true mark of quality in literature for readers young and old, and Judi’s success is well-deserved. Friendship is a universal topic and Alice and Megan look likely to continue on their travels for some time yet! Congratulations to Judi from everyone at O’Brien Press.’

Curtain’s latest book with The O’Brien Press, Eva’s Journey, reached No.3 in the Irish children’s fiction best-seller charts in December 2010 and will be followed by the next Eva book, Eva’s Holiday, in August 2011.

In April 2011, Curtin released Friend’s Forever: The Time Spell the first in a new series with Puffin Ireland, one of that imprints first titles.

Kathleen MacMahon’s This Is How It Ends, which was the subject of a massive 600,000 STG two book deal in April, has als seen rights sold to Droemer (Germany), Ediciones B (Spain), Nova Fronteira (Brazil), De Boekerij (Holland), Lattes (France), Aben Maler (Denmark), and Bazar (Norway, Sweden, and Finland), and an auction is underway in Italy according to reports on Publishers Marketplace.

Book Republic, the ’boutique’ imprint run by Maverick House, has acquired world rights to Stella Days 1957-1967: The Life and Times of a Rural Irish Cinema. The book was written by Michael Doorley and is the basis for a forthcoming film starring Martin Sheen, Stenphen Rea and Amy Huberman is based.

According to the site description the book ‘is an evocative publication about growing up with the local ‘Stella’ cinema in Borrisokane, Co. Tipperary.’

Book Republic will release the book as a B-format hardback priced at €19.99 as well as print on demand and ebook editions to coincide with the release of the film.

Two of Ireland’s largest publishers have agreed a deal to split home and UK and Commonwealth rights for a new title about the Colin Howell and Hazel Stewart murder case.

Penguin Ireland bought UK and Commonwealth rights to the title while Gill & Macmillan acquired Island of Ireland rights.

Let This Be Our Secret: The Colin Howell/Hazel Stewart Murder Case is written by Deric Henderson Ireland Editor of the Press Association (TWITTER) and covers the sensational murder trial of Colin Howell and Hazel Stewart which ended recently.

Michael McLoughlin, Penguin Ireland’s MD, was the acquiring editor for Penguin Ireland while Fergal Tobin, publishing director at G&M, acquired for Gill & Macmillan.

Paul Feldstein of the Feldstein Agency represented Henderson and the book will be released by both publishers in summer/autumn 2011.

In a move that clearly marks her out as a major author, Ciara Geraghty has signed a British Commonwealth rights deal with Hachette Books Ireland and Hodder & Stoughton for her next two books.

Breda Purdue, Managing Director of HBI said, ‘with three books under her belt, all published with massive bestselling success, Ciara Geraghty had firmly taken her place at the top level of women’s fiction. Aside from bestseller list and success in sales, there’s a massive word-of-mouth buzz about Ciara – among the public, the media and the trade. Ciara Geraghty’s star is on the rise.’

The deal, which was negotiated by Ger Nichol of The Book Bureau, was for ‘a significant six-figure sum’.

Hodder and HBI have published Ciara Geraghty since her 2008 debut Saving Grace. Ciara Geraghty’s editor, Ciara Doorley, says ‘Ciara is a natural storyteller and, pushing the boundaries of her genre, she combines humour, subtle observations with fantastically realized characters who stay with you forever.’

Hodder will publish Ciara’s second novel, Becoming Scarlett, in B-format paperback on 12 May, supported by a UK-wide poster campaign on the rail network. Hodder and HBI will bring their publication dates together to publish Finding Mr Flood simultaneously in B-format paperback on 13 October. Hodder will support the paperback publication with television advertising.

Carolyn Mays, Publishing Director at Hodder says ‘I’m thrilled that we have a new deal with Ciara and Hodder is very excited to be publishing this amazing talent in women’s fiction. Ciara is a writer who deserves genuine comparison to Marian Keyes – her novels transcend the chick lit genre and make you laugh out loud as well as cry.’

In a further flurry of rights activities, Maverick House has acquired a new title and sold film right in a second.

Film rights to The Devil In A Red Dress, by journalist and author Abigail Rieley, were acquired by LA and Galway based producer Michael Duke.

The company also acquired the rights to Raymond Alikpala’s Of God and Men, which the author originally self-published in Cambodia as God Loves Bakla. The book deals with his experiences as a closet homosexual in a catholic society. The title will be published in October 2011.

Yesterday Maverick announced the acquisition of Eating Smoke by Chris Thrall.

Maverick House has acquired the Irish, British, Australian, New Zealand and South African rights to Eating Smoke by Chris Thrall.

The book was acquired from Hong Kong based Blacksmith Books, an independent English language publisher led by Pete Spurrier, who are due to publish the title in Asia in July 2011.

The book covers the time after ‘Chris left the Royal Marines to find fortune in Hong Kong, but instead found himself homeless, hooked on crystal meth and working for the 14K, Hong Kong’s largest crime family, as a doorman in the Wanchai red-light district. Dealing with violence, psychosis and the ‘Foreign Triad’ – a secretive expat clique that unbeknown to the world works hand-in-hand with the Chinese syndicates – he had to survive in the world’s most unforgiving city, addicted to the world’s most dangerous drug.’

Eating Smoke will be published by Maverick House as a trade paperback in October. Thrall has a website, Facebook page and Twitter account.

Irish author PR Prendergast, a school teacher and father of three from Dublin, has sold foreign rights to publishers in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Serbia and Macedonia (Albanian language rights). According to his publisher in Ireland, The O’Brien Press, ‘many other countries [are] extremely interested.’

Prendergast’s title, Dancing in the Dark, has also been nominated for the 21st Bisto Children’s Book of the year Award this year alongside Oliver Jeffers, Sheena Wilkinson, Deirdre Sullivan and others.

The success for Prendergast marks yet another rights win for O’Brien Press who have been at the forefront of rights sales by Irish publishers in the last few years securing record rights sales for their author Celine Kiernan and her Moorehawk Trilogy.