Atlantic buys Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson at auction

James Roxburgh, Publishing Director for Atlantic Fiction, has acquired UK Comm (ex. Canada) for Mouth to Mouth, the new novel by Antoine Wilson in a competitive auction. The rights were sold by Sophie Lambert, C & W, on behalf of Anna Stein, ICM. It will be a lead title for Atlantic, publishing in hardback and eBook in Spring 2022. A paperback will follow in Spring 2023.

Mouth to Mouth is a smart and deliciously engrossing story of confession and moral compromise. Two former classmates – a wealthy art dealer and a struggling writer – bump into one another in an airport lounge and, over delayed flights and a free bar, one of them begins to recount his life story to the other, about how, many years ago, he pulled a dying stranger from the sea and resuscitated him on the sand – and how, as the stranger slowly became an intimate and as rescue turned into something closer to entrapment, he started to wonder whether he should have just let the man drown…

Early praise for the book has come from Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Less, who said, ‘The best book I’ve read in ages… I see you now, dear Reader, with this novel in your hand and already losing track of time’. Lauren Groff, National Book Award winning author of Florida, said it was ‘Swift, and graceful, an agile novel of ideas with unexpectedly sharp teeth’. Sarah Manguso, author of 300 Arguments, said ‘I read this book in one rapturous sitting, jotting down line after line, riveted until the final shocking, clarifying sentence’.

Antoine Wilson is the author of the novels Panorama City and The Interloper. His work has appeared in The Paris Review, Story Quarterly, and Best New American Voices, among other publications, and he is a contributing editor of the literary magazine A Public Space as well as the Los Angeles Review of Books. He lives in Los Angeles.

James Roxburgh, editor, says:

‘Mouth to Mouth reads with the intellectual clarity of Don DeLillo and the dark compelling energy of Girl on the Train. It’s brilliant on a kind of basic moral determinism, the inevitability and irresistibility of money and power, and in its portrayal of Francis – a famous asshole art dealer – it shows how the behaviour of men like Weinstein or Cuomo is systematically excused and forgiven, bullying repackaged as passion, sexual intimidation as charisma. I think Antoine Wilson has written one of the smartest, most addictive novels of the year.’

Sophie Lambert, agent, says:

‘I first read this in one greedy gulp and was immediately compelled to press it into as many hands as possible, which is exactly what I know James and Atlantic Books will do. Mouth to Mouth is sharp, provocative and unputdownable.’

Atlantic Books acquires two more books by Elaine Castillo

Atlantic Books has acquired two new books by Elaine Castillo, following her critically acclaimed debut novel America Is Not The Heart. UK Comm (ex. Canada) rights to an essay collection, How To Read Now, and a second novel, Sexual History, were bought by Atlantic Fiction Publishing Director James Roxburgh from Emma Paterson at Aitken Alexander.

How to Read Now is a collection of linked essays that explores the politics and ethics of reading, and insists that all of us can and should read better: not just our fiction and our art, but also our people, our shared and entangled histories. Smart, funny, serious and, sometimes, profane, Elaine Castillo attacks the bromide that reading makes us more empathetic, reimagines the cartography of the classics, builds a moral case against the settler colonialism of Joan Didion, tilts at Nobel Prize winners and topples indie filmmakers. It’s as much a decisive and critical intervention on our cultural conversation as it is a deeply personal history of reading from the perspective of one woman of colour, in which the stakes of why we need to think about how we read – what reading can mean, in a life – become intimately apparent.

Sexual History is a roadtrip of a novel in which a queer Filipinx American artist travels with her husband to the funeral of the half-brother who abused her when she was a child. It’s a book about an artist’s life – and yes, her sexual history – but it’s also fundamentally a book that questions the relationship between art and trauma, and celebrates the joys and the erotics of survival. As the protagonist drives across California, stopping for roadside donuts, sleeping on the couches of exes and relatives, hiking among the giant trees of a national park, she struggles with how to tell her story – through science fiction? Crime thriller? Myth? Through other people’s work, other people’s characters, other Asian women in films she has loved? – in short, trying every illuminated exit, until she dares to try an entrance.

Named one of ‘30 of the planet’s most exciting young people’ by the Financial Times, Elaine Castillo was born and raised in the Bay Area.  Her debut novel America Is Not the Heart has been nominated for numerous prizes, including the Elle Award, the Center for Fiction Prize and the Aspen Words Prize.

Elaine Castillo said:

‘Atlantic Books has been my literary home in the UK since London was my physical home, back in 2016, and I continue to be immensely proud of the work we have published and will continue to publish together.  With special thanks to my editor James Roxburgh, whose editorial grace, openness, and humility sets an example not just for how to be better publishers, but in particular, how to be better and more engaged publishers for authors of colour; and to my incomparable agent, Emma Paterson, whose razor-sharp instincts, iconoclastic verve and visionary commitment to effecting actionable change on our shelves (and so in our world) make her, in my esteem, the future of the publishing industry – a future that, for once in these dystopian times, I actually joyfully look forward to being part of.’

James Roxburgh said:

‘I once told a room full of people that Elaine was a writer of such extraordinary talent that I would blindly follow her wherever she went, and both these projects vindicate that deep-held faith – but also gently rebuke the idea of moving through the world with my eyes closed. Her collection is a stunningly significant piece of criticism that asks us not to look away when our shared culture proves so appallingly limited but instead to look harder. To think smarter. To read better.’

Emma Paterson said:

‘Encountering Elaine Castillo’s exhilarating, confronting and ultimately hopeful interrogation of our reading culture is like watching the clouds break. You will remember where you were when you first read How to Read Now, and you will think of it every time you read another book.’

How To Read Now will be published in hardback and eBook in summer 2022 and Sexual History will be published in hardback and eBook in summer 2023.

Grove Press to publish late writer Anthony Veasna So

Grove Press is publishing the debut short story collection of Anthony Veasna So, the Cambodian-American fiction writer and promising talent who died aged 28 earlier this month.

Publisher Peter Blackstock acquired UK Commonwealth (excluding Canada) rights in Afterparties from Caspian Dennis at Abner Stein, on behalf of Rob McQuilkin at Massie & McQuilkin. It will be published in hardback and e-book in August 2021. US rights were previously acquired by Helen Atsma at Ecco.

A month after the acquisition was made, So (pictured) died at the age of 28, on 8th December 2020. In an obituary, the New York Times described him as “the author of crackling, kinetic and darkly comedic stories that made vivid the lives of first-generation Khmer-Americans.” His death was announced by Ecco, the imprint of HarperCollins in the US that had won his work at auction, but no additional details were provided; his partner said it was “sudden and unexpected”.

Afterparties is a collection of stories that paint a portrait of the lives of Cambodian-Americans, predominantly children of refugees in California who shoulder the inherited weight of the Khmer Rouge genocide. The publisher’s synopsis states: “In these intoxicating, and both hilarious and poignant stories, Anthony Veasna So navigates the intimacy of queer and immigrant communities in the US, and explores questions of immigration, family, race and sexuality.”

Born and raised in Stockton, California, the author lived in San Francisco and was a graduate of Stanford University. He earned his MFA in Fiction at Syracuse University, and his writing appeared in publications including the New Yorker, n+1, Granta and ZYZZYVA.

“I was devastated to hear about Anthony’s death,” said Blackstock, who had known So since 2018. “A month ago, I was thrilled to be able to be in touch with Anthony again as his UK publisher. I know that readers outside North America will love the humour and swagger and emotion in these unforgettable stories, and I feel privileged to be Anthony’s champion in the UK, even in these extremely sad circumstances. The whole Grove UK team and I are so looking forward to helping bring Afterparties to the broadest audience possible.”

Grove Press UK to publish ‘surprising and fresh’ debut from Vauhini Vara

Grove Press UK has acquired The Immortal King Rao, an “epic” debut novel about family, modernity and technology from Canadian-born American writer Vauhini Vara.

The novel will tell a rags-to-riches story of a Dalit Indian computer scientist who migrates to America and eventually becomes the most famous person in the world. The interlaced story will move from a coconut grove in 1950s Andhra Pradesh to Seattle during the early tech boom to a future world where the nation state has given way to a corporate global government, and the devices of the Coconut corporation have reshaped the world. The title will ask “powerful” questions about ethics, the American Dream and the social values of digital captains of industry, says the publisher.

Peter Blackstock, publisher, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, from Peggy Boulos-Smith at Writers House, on behalf of Susan Golomb. North American rights were acquired by Alane Mason at W W Norton. Publication is scheduled for spring 2022.

Blackstock said: “I am thrilled to be bringing Vauhini’s thought-provoking novel to the Grove Press UK list. It is an extraordinary debut with a surprising and fresh voice, and an impressive character study that takes us evocatively into widely varying settings. It asks prescient questions about technology and capitalism that are ever more relevant as we move into a future that feels more uncanny by the day.”

Vara commented: “I’ve long admired Peter Blackstock’s work in the US — and Grove, in general — and was excited to hear about his new role as Grove Press UK’s publisher. After a decade spent writing this book, I feel extraordinarily lucky that Grove will be playing a major role in bringing it into the world.”

Vara is a graduate of the Iowa Writers Workshop. She began her career at the Wall Street Journal and she later edited and wrote for the New Yorker. She is currently a story editor at New York Times Magazine. Her fiction has received an O Henry Award, along with honours from the Rona Jaffe Foundation, the Canada Council for the Arts, the MacDowell Colony and the Yaddo Corporation.

Atlantic to publish ‘Head First’, a wry exploration of the mind

Atlantic Books is to publish Head First: A Psychiatrist’s Stories of Mind and Body by Alastair Santhouse, which chronicles the author’s many years treating patients and his exploration of the ways in which our minds exert a huge and underappreciated influence over public health.

Written with brutal honesty, deep compassion, and a wry sense of humour, Head First examines difficult cases that illuminate some of our most puzzling and controversial medical issues–from the tragedy of suicide, to the stigma surrounding obesity, to the mysteries of self-induced illness. Ultimately, he finds that our medical model has failed us by promoting specialisation and overlooking perhaps the single most important component of our health: our state of mind.

Santhouse is a consultant psychiatrist at both The Maudsley Hospital and Guy’s Hospital in London. He was vice-chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists Faculty of Liaison Psychiatry between 2013 and 2017, and in 2016 served as president of the Psychiatry Section of the Royal Society of Medicine. His clinical work focuses on the intersection of physical and mental health.

Commenting on the acquisition, Publishing director for non-fiction Mike Harpley said:

“It’s clear from Head First that Alastair is not only a first-class clinician but a truly gifted and empathetic writer. Through his clinical case studies, he makes a convincing case that it’s impossible to separate physical and mental health. After you’ve read it, you won’t view your ordinary visit to the GP in the same light again.”

Head First: A Psychiatrist’s Stories of Mind and Body will be published in hardback, trade paperback, and e-book on 1st July.

Atlantic to publish ‘Chief of Staff’ by Gavin Barwell

Atlantic Books is to publish Chief of Staff: My Time as the Prime Minister’s Right-Hand Man by Gavin Barwell next year.

Gavin Barwell was Downing street chief of staff to former Prime Minister Theresa May, following the general election in June 2017. Now sitting in the House of Lords, he was an MP for Croydon Central from 2010 until 2017.

Described as an “invaluable and gripping insider record”, the memoir documents Barwell’s time as May’s former chief of staff. The synopsis explains: “He was by her side when she negotiated her Brexit deal, met Donald Trump, heard about the poisoning of the Skripals in Salisbury, made the decision to authorise the use of military force in Syria, met Jeremy Corbyn and Keir Starmer to broker a cross-party Brexit agreement – and ultimately made the decision to stand down as Prime Minister. And at a time of intense interest in the current prime minister’s former chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, and the person who the prime minister will now appoint as chief of staff, this book will also provide a unique insight into this powerful role.

Commenting on the deal, Barwell said:

“I’ve agonised over whether to write this book for over a year. Doing so will bring back some painful memories because whatever other roles the chief of staff to the prime minister may have their primary responsibility is to keep the prime minister in office. But the existing accounts of those turbulent two years are second-hand, at best partial and at worst get important details wrong. I am looking forward to working with Mike to set out what really happened. And I hope too to give a timely insight into how Britain is really governed behind that famous black door, the position of chief of staff and the overly dominant role advisers now play in our political life.”

Publishing director for non-fiction Mike Harpley said:

“Gavin’s time as the PM’s chief of staff coincides with some of the momentous events in recent political history. He was often the only person in the room aside from May herself, so this book will contain some surprising revelations. However, more than that, it is a fascinating insight into how government works (and doesn’t work) during times of crisis.”

The book will be published in hardback and e-book in September 2021.

Allen & Unwin acquires Sharon Stone’s ‘deeply moving’ memoir

Allen & Unwin has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to The Beauty of Living Twice by Sharon Stone. 

UK publisher Ed Faulkner and Kelly Fagan, publisher at A&U Australia, secured rights from Suzanne Smith at Knopf Doubleday in New York.

The Beauty of Living Twice will chronicle the actress’ efforts to rebuild her life after suffering a stroke. Stone will also talk about her pivotal roles, her friendships, her disappointments and her accomplishments. The memoir will reveal how Stone went from a childhood of trauma and violence to a business that in many ways echoed those same assaults, under cover of money and glamour. She will describe the strength and meaning she found in her children, and in her humanitarian efforts. And ultimately, she will share how she fought her way back to find not only her truth, but her family’s reconciliation and love, says the publisher.

Faulkner commented:

“I am delighted that one of my first acquisitions at Allen & Unwin is Sharon Stone’s powerful and deeply moving memoir. So much more than a Hollywood icon, Sharon Stone has overcome real trauma in her life, and her bravery and humanity shine through in this unique story of survival and resilience. We can’t wait to publish it.”

Fagan added:

“Despite everything Sharon Stone has been through, this memoir still manages to be so beautifully evocative that it was a pleasure to read. Utterly unputdownable, I couldn’t be prouder to be part of bringing this powerful book into the world.”

Stone said:

“I dedicate this memoir to my mother, not because it was easy for either of us, but because she taught me the exact things I needed to know to live in this world at this time. I am grateful for this growth opportunity, grateful to be able to humble myself to learn more about relationships, and grateful to the readers who choose to join me in this journey.”

The Beauty of Living Twice will be published in hardback, trade paperback and e-book in April 2021.

Atlantic Books to publish ‘Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead’

Atlantic Books is to publish Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead, the debut novel by Canadian author Emily Austin. 

Responding to a flyer for free therapy, Gilda – a young woman struggling with acute anxiety – finds herself on the steps of St. Rigobert’s Catholic church. Too embarrassed to contradict Father Jeff, who assumes she’s there for a job interview, Gilda is hired to replace the elderly, recently deceased receptionist Grace. She’s not exactly qualified to be their new receptionist – she’s queer and an atheist for starters – and so in between trying to learn the lines to mass, hiding her new maybe-girlfriend Eleanor and worrying about the escalating investigation into Grace’s death, Gilda begins to confront the extent of her own mortifying existence.

Like a working-class Frances Ha, this angsty, mordant, gorgeously relatable lead title for summer 2021 will appeal to readers of Exciting Times and The New Me.

Editor Poppy Mostyn-Owen said:

‘I love this book. It’s warm, complex, and humane and captured all of us with its candour and relatability. Emily Austin has written both a deft actualisation of what anxiety can feel like and a brilliantly funny misadventure.’

Emily Austin said:

‘I am wholeheartedly delighted that my panicked story has found such a good home with Poppy and her team. I am thrilled to be working with Atlantic Books and to be sharing this book across the pond.’

Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin will be published in hardback and eBook in July 2021.

Atlantic awarded ‘Trade Publisher of the Year’ at the IPG Awards 2020

The team at Atlantic Books were delighted to accept the ‘Trade Publisher of the Year’ award at the Independent Publishing Awards 2020.

The prize was awarded at the annual awards ceremony organised by the IPG (Independent Publishers’ Guild), which was held virtually and streamed online last night. Here is what the IPG had to say:

Atlantic Books is a first-time winner at the Independent Publishing Awards, having continued its impressive business turnaround in 2019. Its print and ebook sales both grew sharply, thanks in part to the phenomenal success of Oyinkan Braithwaite’s My Sister the Serial Killer, and it reinvigorated its fiction imprint.

“Atlantic is a remarkable turnaround story and you can feel the enthusiasm right across the business,” said the judges.

Will Atkinson, M.D. and Publisher of Atlantic said in his acceptance speech:

‘I am absolutely thrilled with this award. There are some great publishers on the short list, so this is a humbling moment too.

First up I would like to thank our shareholders, who have given us time. Time to find the right authors, time to get a great mix of people together, time to develop our partnerships, our writers, and our publishing.

There were a few agents in the early days who took a chance and entrusted some of their bigger writers to us, and I would like to thank them too for their imagination in doing so.

Great things have happened internationally. And in the UK Thank you to Waterstones whose support in the last three years has been key to our very significant growth. We also cherish our relationship with our colleagues in the  independent  bookselling sector, through the Independent Alliance. As publishers, we just have to stand back and applaud and admire what all booksellers are doing right now.  No less heroic have been the people involved in the physical supply chain, such as our distributors GBS.

So – this is a lovely moment for all of us at Atlantic. I think it is a special place right now, with great books and people,  so it is wonderful for that to be recognised in this way.’

Allen & Unwin to publish ‘Everest 1922’ by Mick Conefrey

Allen & Unwin is to publish Everest 1922, a new book detailing the dramatic first attempted ascent of Everest in 1922 by acclaimed historian Mick Conefrey. Publisher Ed Faulkner secured World rights (all languages) from Leah Middleton at Marjacq Scripts Ltd in his first acquisition for the imprint.

Though it remains by far the world’s most famous mountain, in recent years Everest’s reputation has changed radically, with long queues of climbers on the Lhotse Face, lurid tales of frozen corpses and piles of high-altitude trash. It wasn’t always like this though. Once Everest was remote and inaccessible, a mysterious place, where only the bravest and most heroic dared to tread.

In Everest 1922, Mick Conefrey goes back to the world before all the queues and commercial operators to tell the tale of the first ever attempt. It’s a story full of drama and incident, populated by an extraordinary set of characters who are both fascinating in their own right and archetypes for future expeditions. Using their diaries, letters, published and unpublished accounts Conefrey creates a rich character driven narrative, exploring the motivations and private dramas of key individuals, while keeping a firm sense of the bigger social and cultural context in which the expedition took place.

The 1922 expedition was the first ascent on the world’s tallest mountain and it was the first to use bottled oxygen to aid mountaineers as they neared the 29,000-ft peak. The trip ended in tragedy when, on their third attempt at reaching the summit and becoming the first ever climbers to go above 26,000 feet, the group were hit by an avalanche and seven men died.

Mick Conefrey is an award-winning writer and documentary maker. He made the landmark BBC series Mountain Men and Icemen and The Race for Everest to mark the 60th anniversary of the first successful ascent. His previous books include Everest 1953, the winner of a LeggiMontagna award, and The Ghosts of K2 which won a US National Outdoor Book award in 2017.

Ed Faulkner says:

“I am delighted that one of my first acquisitions at Allen & Unwin is Mick Conefrey’s landmark account of the first attempt to climb Mt Everest in 1922.  Arguably, we learn far more from failure than success and this gripping story is destined to become a classic of mountaineering literature.”

Mick Conefrey says:

“I’m thrilled to be returning to Everest, or its literary slopes at least.  Allen & Unwin is a great name in publishing and I’m really looking forward to working with Ed Faulkner on this project.”

Everest 1922 will publish in hardback and e-book in April 2022 on the Allen & Unwin imprint of Atlantic Books, to tie in with the centenary of the expedition.