Person of the Week — Keri Beeves

It’s the season for amateur writers in Britain these days. A couple of weeks ago it was a single mother who got a — 100,000 advance for her first novel — then came an advertising executive expected to earn — 200,000 from a publishing deal. But this week it was a travel agency clerk from Norwich who sold the rights to three horror novels for a whopping — 750,000.Keri Beevis, aged 25, was a normal worker by day, but went home to write till 5 a.m. Her publishers, Buckley-Bennion, who publish the Professional Golf Association Yearbook, were impressed enough by her writing to pay a record amount to a young unknown. Says Emrys Bowen, managing director of the publishers: “She is very strong on dialogue, which would make the sale of film rights easier.”The unprecedented sum does not seem to excite Beevis though. She says: “I’m trying not to focus on the money side,” but goes on to add: “I want my book to come out. I want people to like it. I want Hollywood to be interested.” Well, at least for now, her wishes seem to be coming true.