Idler at large turns to fiction

James Bridle at Snowbooks has bought world rights in a first novel by Matthew De Abaitua, editor at large of the Idler and literary editor of Esquire.

De Abaitua's The Red Men is about a technology consultant who finds himself wrestling with his conscience when commissioned to work on a project with sinister aims. 'We're very excited about the book and plan a large amount of promotion to accompany it,' Bridle says.

Snowbooks will publish in autumn 2007. De Abaitua's agent is Sarah Such.

ERRATA: Please note that Matthew is a former, not the current, lit ed of Esquire, as wrongly stated in The Bookseller.