His Bloody Project's sales leave Booker shortlist rivals for dead

A little-known novelist with a tiny independent publisher in Scotland is enjoying an extraordinary sales rush after being shortlisted for the Man Booker prize.

His Bloody Project, Graeme Macrae Burnet’s tale of murder in a remote Highland crofting community in the 19th century, is leading sales of shortlisted books by a significant margin, according to the most recent figures available. Its closest and far better-recognised rival is selling more than a third less.

It is the first time a Scottish writer published by a Scottish publisher has made it to this stage in the competition.

The “fiendishly readable� novel is also outstripping sales of Booker longlisted stalwarts, including Nobel laureate JM Coetzee and Costa winner AL Kennedy.

Published by Contraband, the crime imprint of the Glasgow-based press Saraband, His Bloody Project had sold more than 10,000 copies by mid-September, while Hot Milk by Deborah Levy, the best-known name on a shortlist that overlooked more established writers, sold 6,318.

The psychological thriller Eileen by debut author Ottessa Moshfegh, and The Sellout, Paul Beatty’s Swiftian satire about a black man reintroducing slavery in Los Angeles, have also sold more than 5,000 copies since their nominations.

Burnet’s publisher Sara Hunt predicts sales far in excess of the initial spike, noting that the first reprint of 15,000 copies “didn’t last long�, with total orders in the tens of thousands now spilling in from Europe and further afield. Hunt’s independent publishing house, with only two full-time employees, is now balancing cashflow and turnaround time in order to satisfy demand.

Describing the book as “a phenomenon�, Hunt told the Guardian: “We’ve been excited about Graeme since his first book, but we couldn’t have known just how much it would capture the imagination. The sales have been really robust and more so than is typical for a Man Booker title. It’s now number one in the Bookseller’s list for small publishers.�

In the novel’s first major review, following its longlisting, the Guardian’s Justine Jordan described it as “a slippery creature�. “It’s a psychological thriller masquerading as a slice of true crime; a collection of ‘found’ documents that play lovingly with the traditions of Scottish literature; an artful portrait of a remote crofting community in the 19th century that showcases contemporary theories about class and criminology,� Jordan wrote.

Hunt, who founded the independent press 22 years ago, only began publishing fiction five years ago and crime three years ago under the Contraband imprint. She described Burnet’s inclusion on the longlist then shortlist as “fantastic and an utter surprise�.

The winner of this year’s £50,000 prize will be announced on 25 October at an awards ceremony at London’s Guildhall.

Hunt is not the only woman contemplating unexpected success. Claire Mundell, creative director at Synchronicity Films, was persuaded to read Burnet’s book after being introduced to him in the pub by mutual friends. She now owns the film and TV rights to one of this year’s hottest literary properties.

“It was one of those really nice moments when you were right to trust your instincts,� Mundell told the Guardian. “The writing was just wonderful and I felt instantly that there was something in there that was very filmic.�

“It was going to be a hard sell but [the shortlisting] puts it in a completely different arena.� Mundell already has an offer on the table from a major UK broadcaster and is currently looking for a screenwriter.

“We’re a company that tries to champion Scottish talent, and it is hard for small publishers, having to compete for attention. When I met Sara [at Saraband] I felt that we had a lot in common in terms of what we are trying to do.�