Project

A stunning new ‘Director’s Cut’ edition of a globally renowned novel.

Overview

A landmark collaboration with a distinguished author
Stunning new cover design
Traditional print run and distribution

Brief

Renowned novelist Susan Howatch approached us via her agent to discuss a very personal project that had been in the back of her mind for years. She wanted to create a revised edition of Glamorous Powers, the second volume from her beloved Starbridge series, originally published in the 1980s.

Susan had an unusual proposition – to create a definitive ‘Director’s Cut’ version and resolve what had always felt like unfinished business with the book. She would go on to rewrite and expand the novel to reveal new layers of meaning in protagonist Jon Darrow’s journey.

Susan has a dedicated fan base on both sides of the Atlantic and has seen significant commercial success, with much of her backlist still in print with HarperCollins. Faith and spirituality feature largely in her work with the Starbridge series centered around the Anglican church.

She chose to partner with Whitefox for the freedom to realise her creative vision exactly as intended.

Execution

Our Publishing Director Julia Koppitz led the project, building a project team that included a specialist copyeditor, Louise Tucker, who understood Susan’s writing style, helping her to incorporate rewrites and additional material seamlessly. Susan added to the original text and Louise made some thoughtful suggestions for clarity and readability, but a full structural edit wasn’t required.

Susan doesn’t use a computer or have a mobile phone so every interaction with her was done in person, by post or landline. While this slightly lengthened the publishing process, it also added a lovely sense of deliberateness and care to the project. There is still nothing quite like receiving a marked-up manuscript of 600+ pages in the post!

When it came to the book’s packaging, we all agreed that it should have a luxurious look and feel, with the cover design encompassing the themes of the book and reflecting its position in the market. Glamorous Powers is published as a Royal jacketed hardback at £25 RRP with traditional sell-in. We facilitated a print run and oversaw the warehousing and distribution, with the book sold into chains, independents and wholesalers, as well as being made available online.

To maximise sell-through, Susan opted for our ‘Marketing Essentials’ campaign along with a targeted publicity campaign with a genre-specific publicist from our freelance network.

Results

Susan was able to bring the ‘Director’s Cut’ edition of Glamorous Powers to life exactly as she wanted. Whether readers are discovering the story for the first time or returning to the world of Starbridge, she has achieved the richest version of one of contemporary fiction’s most compelling explorations of faith and psychology.

The stunning cover design reflects the novel’s heritage and cultural significance. The deep navy and forest-green palette evokes the contemplative atmosphere of churches and cloisters and luxurious gold foil spans the cover, catching light from every angle. The ornate crosses and feline guardians are a nod to the novel’s mystical and spiritual themes.

Media coverage has appeared in BookBrunch with more expected to follow in The Times, The Week and other outlets.

Susan is thrilled with the book and has expressed her gratitude to the Whitefox team for helping her ‘dream come true’.

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