Quercus scoops Emma Lowther's debut in six-figure deal

Quercus has triumphed in a competitive five-way auction for Emma Lowther’s debut Fellow Creatures, striking a two-book, six-figure deal. Commissioning editor Kat Burdon acquired UK and Commonwealth rights in Fellow Creatures and one untitled novel from Rachel Neerly at Mushens Entertainment.

Set to be published in May 2026, Fellow Creatures is a dark coming-of-age novel that follows Shannon Bell, whose life changes forever when she is accepted into an elite drama school. The synopsis continues: “Shannon meets Victoria, who is wealthy, beautiful and talented, and the two become inseparable. However, Victoria’s privilege begins to isolate her from her peers and the friendship begins to spin out of control with fatal consequences.”

Neely described Lowther as “an exciting new talent”, adding: “[She has a] voice that captured me from the very first page. I have always loved campus novels but I adore how Emma has brought something fresh to that space with an unusual setting and a brilliantly unsettling protagonist. Kat’s passion and the team’s vision for this book blew us away and I can’t wait for readers to get their hands on it!”

Fellow Creatures is based on the author’s own experiences growing up and at university and Lowther said the book is her “committing her experiences to paper”. She added: “I am absolutely thrilled to be joining Quercus’s esteemed list of authors with my debut. Thank you to Kat Burdon and the entire team at Quercus for their passion and enthusiasm for my work, as well as to the inimitable Rachel Neely and everyone at Mushens Entertainment for helping me reach this point.”