First-time author Kathleen MacMahon, a journalist with RTÉ News, has signed a two-book deal worth £600,000 sterling with publishers Little Brown in the UK and Grand Central in the US.
The deal was the largest done at this year's London Book Fair.
Her first novel, 'So This is How it Ends', will be published next year. Translation rights are also being negotiated.
MacMahon's agent, Marianne Gunne O'Connor, described her as a natural storyteller who has written a very special book.
She said that in a difficult year for the book trade, the deal is an amazing one for Ireland and Irish writing.
'So This is How it Ends' tells the story of the love affair between a 50-year-old American who comes to Ireland to escape the financial crisis and trace his roots, and a 38-year-old unemployed Irish architect.
Senior Editor at Little Brown, Rebecca Saunders, described it as a "love story for our times", which will resonate with men and women of all ages.
