Publisher of Harry Potter to reveal 'next big thing'

In August 1996, a manuscript landed on Barry Cunningham's desk about a precocious boy wizard with a sinister shaped scar on his forehead, a talent for racing broomsticks and an uncanny knack of getting into trouble.

Within minutes, the publisher knew he had stumbled on something special and within months the manuscript had been turned into a best-selling novel that propelled its author to stardom and made its protagonist a household name.

Now, as the release date of the final Harry Potter looms on the horizon and the publishing world becomes increasingly hungry for the next big thing in children's literature, Mr Cunningham claims to have done it again. He has, he says, discovered a new literary creation that may just fill the void left when J K Rowling's outrageously successful series comes to end in July.

Tunnels, a classic fantasy tale with a science fiction edge written by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams, has been plucked from obscurity by the man with an undeniable Midas touch when it comes to children's books. The managing director of Chicken House publishing has already sold the pre-publication rights in 15 languages, amassing advances of over £500,000, with a major Hollywood film deal in the pipeline. The signs are all there for another huge literary coup.

Since his discovery of Harry Potter, the former Bloomsbury employee has gone on to forge a reputation as one of the leading figures in children's literature. His other stars include Cornelia Funke, the author of Inkheart, which is currently being adapted into a film starring Helen Mirren, and Kevin Brooks, who has recently been shortlisted for the Carnegie Awards for children's writing.

Mr Cunningham has now signed up the authors of Tunnels. The book features a boy archaeologist who discovers a lost world under London by digging into tunnels beneath the city.

The best writing, Mr Cunningham said, is one that offers children a "portal" into another world, such as Alice in Wonderland and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. "I knew from page one that Harry Potter was magic. Digging into Tunnels gave me the same thrill, discovering a world of imagination just beyond our everyday lives. I'm always on the lookout for something that has a transforming imagination. Children love portals that start in the everyday world and use magic or wardrobes to take them somewhere else," he said.

"As a boy, I was obsessed with the idea you could dig a tunnel which would take you to another world, a mysterious door to another existence. All children believe the world is much more mysterious than adults let on. The idea of a world behind a world is a fantastically gripping idea," he added.

Gordon, who lives in Norfolk, and Williams, from London, originally met at university and began writing the book together when Gordon was made redundant from his job as a City banker in 2001. They were so determined to get the book read that they self-published a limited print run which sold out within a day in Gordon's local bookshop. It was taken on by Chicken House after Mr Cunningham heard of this success.

Interesting? Click here to explore further