S&S Announces Book Deal with Paige Toon on YA Novels

Simon and Schuster today announced a two-book deal with author Paige Toon, for her first YA fiction novels.

S&S acquired world rights in two books, the first of which will be published on 30th January 2014, with the second to follow in early 2015. Both titles will be published simultaneously in paperback and eBook formats.

Paige Toon is a successful adult author of numerous women's fiction novels and has sold over a quarter of a million books to date. She grew up in Australia, America and England - thanks to her much-travelled Le Mans winner father, Vern Schuppan. For over eight years, Paige worked at Heat Magazine as Reviews Editor.

Toon's first YA novel is entitled The Accidental Life of Jessie Jefferson. When Jessie's mother dies, she thinks that she'll never know the identity of her real father, but when the truth comes to light her whole life changes. Her father is Johnny Jefferson, mega-famous rock star and one-time serial womaniser. Now Jessie is on her way to LA to meet her real father, but will she fit in among the young and glamorous of Hollywood? Her tiny world has just got a whole lot bigger...

Commissioning Editor, Jane Griffiths, said: "Paige is already a successful author on the Simon & Schuster fiction list, so we're really excited to be publishing her debut Young Adult novel too. Paige's writing style is perfect for teen readers and Jessie is a feisty and likeable heroine, whose journey from girl-next-door to the Hollywood Hills is sure to appeal to teen girls everywhere."

Simon & Schuster UK Children's Publishing was founded in 1998. Since then it has published numerous popular and bestselling titles and series, including The Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black, work by multi-award winning author Sophie McKenzie, The Great Hamster Massacre by Katie Davies (winner of The Waterstone's Children's Book Prize 2010), Andy Mulligan's Ribblestrop series (winner of the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize 2011), the Thirteen Treasures sequence by Michelle Harrison, bestselling paranormal romance Hush Hush and its sequels by Becca Fitzpatrick, and works by LJ Smith. Stars on the picture book and licensed character list include Aliens Love Underpants by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort, Olivia by Ian Falconer, pre-school sensations Mike the Knight and The Octonauts, Sue Hendra's Barry the Fish with Fingers, and Anna Kemp and Sara Ogilvie's award-winning Dogs Don't do Ballet. New additions to the children's list for 2012 include international bestselling author Philippa Gregory with her YA series Order of Darkness, and Darren Shan, with his 12-book series Zom-B. Simon & Schuster was highly commended in the Bookseller Industry Awards 2011, Children's Publisher of the Year category, and was shortlisted in the same category in the 2012 awards.

Simon & Schuster, a part of the CBS Corporation, is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and non-fiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed, electronic, and audio formats. Its divisions include Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, Simon & Schuster Audio, Simon & Schuster Digital, and international companies in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit the website at www.simonandschuster.co.uk.