Nicholas Evans Signs Two Book Deal with Penguin Putnam

Posted on May 24, 2002

Nicholas Evans, the bestselling author of The Horse Whisperer, has agreed to publish his next two novels with Penguin Putnam Inc. Carole Baron, the former editor of Nicholas Evans and president of the Dutton and G. P. Putnam's Sons imprints, made the announcement. Evans' first three novels were published by Random House imprints.

Carole Baron said, "I am elated to be reunited with Nick. Ever since I read The Horse Whisperer, I have been enthralled by his stories. He's an extraordinary talent and a master storyteller. I am proud to have him join our Penguin Putnam family."

Penguin Putnam Inc. has acquired the rights to publish two new books in hardcover and paperback. The first one, not yet titled, will be published by G.P. Putnam's Sons in hardcover in 2004. Nicholas Evans is represented by Caradoc King at AP Watt Literary Agency in London.

To date, Evans has written three books, all of which have been New York Times bestsellers. From his unique point of view he has written about real people against the epic grandeur of the American West. His first novel, The Horse Whisperer, became an instant publishing phenomenon when it was released in hardcover in 1995. It held the #1 position on bestseller lists around the world, including The New York Times, where it remained on The New York Times bestseller list for over 58 weeks. Robert Redford went on to produce, direct, and star in The Horse Whisperer in 1998. Evans' other two novels include The Smoke Jumper, which was published in August 2001, and The Loop, published in 1998. All combined, there are over 25 million copies of his books in print.

About his new book deal, Nicholas Evans said, "It's wonderful to have the chance to work again with Carole. It was she who originally had faith in me as a first-time novelist. Her guidance as editor and publisher has made a crucial contribution to my writing."

Nicholas Evans was born and grew up in Worcestershire, England. He studied law at Oxford University, graduating with first class honors, then worked as a journalist for three years on the Evening Chronicle in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. He then moved into television, producing films about US politics and the Middle-East for a weekly current affairs program called Weekend World. It was during this time that he traveled a lot and got to know the United States.

In 1982 he started to produce arts documentaries about famous writers, painters, and film-makers, several of which won international awards (films about David Hockney, Francis Bacon, Patricia Highsmith). In 1983 he made a film about the great British director David Lean (Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago). Lean became a friend and mentor and persuaded Evans to switch from fact to fiction.

For the next ten years, Evans wrote and produced a number of films for television and the cinema. In 1993 he met a blacksmith in the far South-West of England who told him about horse whisperers -- people who have the gift of healing traumatized horses. Evans started work on what was to be his first novel.