A London author who became an internet sensation after taking up a writing challenge has been tipped for international success with his debut novel.
Taran Matharu, 24, began Summoner: The Novice in 2013 when he accepted a challenge to write 50,000 words for National Novel Writing Month.
He posted sections on the Wattpad story-sharing site, attracting 100,000 readers in a month and one million in less than four months. The book has now been read five million times.
The print version will be published in Britain in May. It has also been snapped up by 10 countries, with six-figure deals in the United States and Brazil, after Mr Matharu was signed by Juliet Mushens, the agent behind Jessie Burton’s 2014 hit The Miniaturist.
Ms Mushens said she became addicted to the book: “I understood why Taran was an online sensation. This is, I believe, one of the most exciting debuts of 2015.”
Mr Matharu returned to live in central London after securing a first-class degree in business administration in Bath and is now a full-time author. He said: “I’ve known that I wanted to be a full-time writer since I was nine. I wish my nine-year-old self could see me now. He would be overjoyed.”
Mr Matharu, the son of an Indian hotel chain owner and a Brazilian dentist, created his fantasy — about a blacksmith called Fletcher who can summon demons — because he was looking for something to read.
“I couldn’t find the book I wanted and thought it would be more fun writing it,” he said. “It has a broad range of references — all the best elements from video games, movies, fantastical legends and even history.”
The Bookseller magazine described Summoner as one of the biggest deals to have come out of Wattpad. Publishers are keeping a watchful eye on the internet — Fifty Shades of Grey began life as an ebook on a fan site.
National Novel Writing Month has been the launchpad for other publishing hits, including Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants, which became a film with Reese Witherspoon. @Louise_Jury
Summoner: The Novice will be published by Hodder Children’s Books on May 7.
