PENGUIN SNAPS UP TWO DAZZLING YA THRILLERS FROM SIMON JAMES GREEN IN A SWIFT PRE-EMPT

Penguin, an imprint of Penguin Random House Children’s UK, is delighted to announce the acquisition of two gripping YA novels by award-winning author Simon James Green. These books will be published under the name S. J. Green. The first novel, Glitterati, is a page-turning thriller-romance that invites readers into an exclusive world where high society meets high drama and the highest of stakes: murder.

Editorial Director Linas Alsenas pre-empted World Rights (including film and TV rights) from Joanna Moult at Skylark Literary. Glitterati will publish in paperback in March 2027 with the second standalone novel coming in 2028. The Penguin rights team have already sold French rights for the two books in a preempt deal.

Perfect for fans of We Were Liars, Glitterati follows Tommy Baxter’s arrival on an exclusive island in the Caribbean ready for a week of extreme luxury and unrivalled pleasures. He’s part of a very select, international group of teens whose close-knit families are the world’s elite … and most powerful. Except he’s not really Tommy Baxter. He’s a young con artist looking to uncover dirt on these glitterati so he can extort them for big money. But “Tommy” soon realizes that his lies might be too daring to last – and that he might be developing feelings for one of his marks. As the net closes in on him, he uncovers secrets far darker than he’d ever expected … after all, there’s nothing more exclusive than murder.

Penguin is a market-leader in YA, having launched and published outstanding talent in this space to critical acclaim and commercial success. This includes YA thriller superstars Karen M. McManus, Jennifer Lynn Barnes and Cynthia Murphy; Penguin is delighted to add Simon James Green’s distinctive voice to its genre-defining list.

Simon James Green says: “Having been raised on a diet of Agatha Christie as a teenager, I’ve always had a yearning for lies and murder. I can’t wait to welcome readers into the glamorous, deceitful and dangerous world of the Glitterati – golden boys and golden girls who do not play by the rules – and meet Tommy Baxter, the smooth-talking con artist who plans to drive a wrecking ball through their charmed lives. I’m so excited to be reunited with dream editor Linas Alsenas on this project and to be embarking on this new chapter with the brilliant team at PRH, who blew me away with their enthusiasm and vision for this novel from the get-go, and whose stable of outstanding YA thriller authors I have long admired.”

Linas Alsenas, Editorial Director at Penguin, says: “Imagine if a teen ‘Talented Mr Ripley’ lied his way into a White Lotus-like setting where the outrageous wealth on display can’t cover up dark secrets for long. Glitterati generates the full suite of intense emotions, with tension, pathos, laughter and swoons. My love for Simon’s writing runs deep – he is one of the UK’s most talented YA authors, and I couldn’t be more pleased that he’s bringing this new, thrilling direction of his career to our industry-leading YA list.”

About Simon James Green

Simon James Green is an award-winning author of books for children and young adults. His YA novels include Noah Can’t Even (picked by WHSmith as one of the most important LGBT books of the last 50 years); Alex in Wonderland (nominated for the Carnegie medal and Top LGBTQ+ Books of 2019 from Attitude Magazine); Heartbreak Boys, (an Indie Next List Pick in the US); You’re the One That I Want (shortlisted for the YA Book Prize), Gay Club! (nominated for the Carnegie Medal and starred reviews from Kirkus and BookList); The Big Ask (Kirkus starred review); and Boy Like Me (long listed for the Carnegie Medal, and winner of the Reader’s Choice Award at the Diverse Book Awards). He lives in London. Find Simon on Instagram @simonjamesgreen.  

For publicity enquiries, please contact Rebecca Mason, Senior Publicity Manager at RMason1@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk

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