EL James has finally written a new book — not just another retelling of the Fifty Shades of Grey series — and THE MISTER will be published in English on April 16. Vintage will once again publish it as a trade paperback original in North American and the open market, with PRH UK’s Arrow publishing in the UK and Commonwealth, excluding Canada. Vintage and Anchor publisher Anne Messitte acquired rights from Valerie Hoskins at Valerie Hoskins Associates, with Susan Sandon buying UK rights. Vintage will issue a Spanish language edition in North America later in the spring, and ILA is selling foreign rights.
Vintage has not yet set a first printing, but promises “we are going to print long to meet anticipated demand from retailers and readers,” expecting an initial laydown of a million copies or more. Announcements about an author tour and author appearances will come later.
THE MISTER is called a “Cinderella story for the twenty-first century” by James. The publisher describes it as a contemporary romance set in London, Cornwall, and Eastern Europe, featuring aristocratic young Englishman Maxim Trevelyan and the mysterious, talented, and beautiful Alessia Demachi, who has recently arrived in London owning little more than a dangerous and troublesome past. They promise “a roller-coaster ride of danger and desire that leaves the reader breathless to the very last page.”