Looks like congratulations are in order for Rachel Heng, a new author from our neighbours down south because she just landed her first-ever book deal with an astonishing six-figure sum in Singaporean currency. Amazing!
The 29-year-old Singaporean-born lady now based in London along with her Swiss husband had just started pursuing her dream of being an author three years ago but her first novel has already been sold to both UK and US publishing houses.
Sceptre, the literary imprint of British publishing house Hodder & Stoughton and Henry Holt & Co in the U.S both emerged as winners in the auction for Rachel’s book that currently has the working title of ‘Suicide Club.’ No relation to Suicide Squad, ya!
Source: Instagram
Her website also proclaims rights have been sold to Sweden and Portugal. The premise of the book is set in New York in a dystopian future where humans have an average life expectancy of 300 years thanks to technological advancements.
In the book, the story is about a society that is becoming obsessed with genetic perfection so that they can achieve immortality. The main characters are Lea, an organ trader, who has a perfect genetic code, and Anja, a mysterious character who draws Lea into the Suicide Club, an outlawed activist group fighting for people’s right to live and die as they choose. Sounds super interesting already!
Source: Instagram
According to The Bookseller, Sceptre editorial director Melissa Cox describes the book as “balancing big questions with ‘hell-for-leather’ pacing. Coz praises Rachel’s work and says, “I knew from reading Rachel’s stories that she was a talent to watch and her novel really delivered on that promise. I see her as a big future star of the Sceptre list and it’s a tremendous privilege to be publishing her in the UK.”
According to Nextshark, Rachel said, “It was one of the most surreal days of my life,” as she thought that she would only get published in a decade’s time. However, to her great joy, she found out that several major publishers were fighting over her book!
Source: Instagram
Prior to her novel, Rachel has been writing short stories for several publications and has even won awards for her work. Her highly anticipated debut novel is expected to be released by August 2018.
We can’t wait to read the book when it comes out!
Also read: Autistic Malaysian Kid Called ‘Worst Artist’ & ‘No Potential’ By Teacher, But Look At Him Now
