Signed! Our next novel - Sanctuary by Tom Gaisford

We are delighted to have a new novel in the pipeline.

Sanctuary, by Tom Gaisford, immigration lawyer turned debut novelist, is an ambitious thriller, written with a light touch, that shines a light on asylum in the UK. It is set for publication in April next year. The text below is the press release published in the The Bookseller.

---

​Bath Publishing acquires Sanctuary: a first novel by immigration lawyer, Tom Gaisford, which shines a light on the dark corners of our UK asylum system. 

Cinto Press, an imprint of Bath Publishing, has acquired Tom Gaisford’s ambitious debut novel, Sanctuary.

Founders David Chaplin and Helen Lacey acquired English Language World Rights from Tom Cull at Cull & Co. Literary Agency Ltd. 

Sanctuary explores our treatment of asylum seekers through the lens of Alex Donovan, a young immigration lawyer in crisis, who dreams up a madcap plan to claim asylum in his own country.

An extensive marketing and publicity campaign is planned, and the publishers are comparing the novel to other fictionalised commentaries on the UK asylum system, such as Chris Cleave’s classic, The Other Hand.  

Bath Publishing has enjoyed huge success over the last three years, with the publication of The Great Post Office Scandal and Depp V Herd: The Unreal Story by Nick Wallis, and Between The Lies by Louise Tickle. Its new imprint, Cinto Press, is home to all its trade-focused titles. 

Publisher David Chaplin said of the acquisition, “When Tom’s debut novel landed in our inbox, we knew why his agent had sent it to us. The wit and insider knowledge he uses to construct such an ingenious, irresistible tale from the intricacies of immigration law immediately appealed, given our grounding in law. But Sanctuary is not just a riveting good read, it shines a light on the murky world of asylum in the UK - still a very live issue. We are delighted Tom has given us the chance to bring it to a wider public.”

Tom Gaisford said, “Cinto Press’ growing fiction list, background in legal publishing and fearless interest in gritty stories about social justice made them the perfect fit. But it was also their appreciation of the novel’s lighter side, the humour and the love story, which permeate the narrative, that sealed the deal.”

For interviews and further information, please contact Claire Maxwell [email protected]. For trade and licensing contact David  Chaplin, [email protected].

---

​

---

​About the Author
Tom Gaisford is a barrister in the field of immigration and asylum law, and a freelance contributor to The Independent, The Tablet and Open Democracy.

In 2021, he froze his practising certificate and moved with his young family to Guernsey, where he has since completed his first novel, SANCTUARY, and begun work on his second. Prior to law, Tom did a degree in History; an MSc in Human Rights; and spent a year at Salamanca University, where he studied Spanish literature, poetry and translation. He obtained the DELE, Diploma Superior.