Canadian Author Sarah Louise Butler’s Second Novel Secures French Publishing Deal
Nelson, B.C. – Canadian novelist Sarah Louise Butler, acclaimed for her debut The Wild Heavens (Douglas & McIntyre), is again making a splash in international publishing: the World French-language rights to her much-anticipated second novel, Rufous and Calliope, have been sold to French publisher Phébus in a nice deal with her Canadian publisher, Douglas & McIntyre, arranged by rights agent Bill Hanna of Acacia House.
Butler’s sophomore work features runaway children, a treehouse hideaway, early-onset dementia, and the persistence of hope and family connections amid ecological grief.
This deal marks a significant milestone in Butler’s literary career. She has recently returned from a literary tour of France (Etonnants Voyageurs) promoting her debut novel, The Wild Heavens / Toutes les créatures, also published by Phébus, which drew the attention of French readers for its rich landscapes, magic, and complex natural themes woven into emotionally resonant storytelling. French reviewer Librairie des livres et nous called the novel "An extraordinary text that will appeal equally to lovers of nature, adventure novels, and intimate stories."
The Canadian edition of Rufous and Calliope will be published this fall 2025 by Douglas & McIntyre.
Sarah Louise Butler is a novelist based in the West Kootenay region of the BC Interior. With a background in physical geography and environmental studies, her stories seek to portray natural landscapes and their non-human inhabitants as characters in their own right. Her debut novel, The Wild Heavens, was a 49th Shelf Book of the Year, and a favourite of book clubs and libraries across the country, including being chosen as a Vancouver Public Library Top 20 Favourite Books of 2020. It was recently translated and released in France. Her second novel, Rufous and Calliope, is a “geographical fiction” that features runaway children, treehouse hideaways, early-onset dementia and the persistence of hope amidst ecological grief. Butler was named a CBC Writer to Watch in 2020. Follow her on Instagram: @sarahlouise.butler