Torva, an imprint of Transworld, has acquired Neurobollocks: Why Nearly Everything You Know About Your Brain Is Wrong by Dr Joseph Devlin.
Editorial director Lucy Oates pre-empted world all-language rights from Jack Fogg at DunnFogg in an eight-way auction, with Spanish rights to Paidós at Planeta. Torva will publish the book in Spring 2027.
Devlin is a leading figure in cognitive neuroscience, recognised for his research on language processing and consumer decision-making. He directs the Applied Consumer Neuroscience Lab at UCL, and works with organisations like Audible and National Rail to understand consumer behaviour through applied neuroscience.
Simon & Schuster UK has acquired Nightfaring: In Search of the Disappearing Darkness by Megan Eaves-Egenes. Assallah Tahir, Editorial Director, Adult Non-Fiction, pre-empted world exclusive NA rights from Jack Fogg.
NA rights were sold separately to Grand Central Publishing by Zoë Pagnamenta at Calligraph, on behalf of DunnFogg. The US editor is Morgan Spehar, and Nightfaring will be published in the UK and in the US and Canada in early 2026.
Bloomsbury has won a seven-way auction for Penny Lancaster’s autobiography, Someone Like Me.
Katy Follain, head of Bloomsbury General, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights through Jack Fogg at DunnFogg, working in collaboration with the author’s agent, Nicholas Young at Crawfords. The book will be available in a dyslexic-friendly format, and the audiobook will be voiced by the author. It publishes on 25th September.
Century, an imprint of Penguin Random House, has triumphed in an eight-way auction for a “full-throttle” guide to cars from motor journalist Mat Watson. Ben Brusey, Century Publishing Director, bought world rights to Auto Biography: An A-Z of Cars from Jack Fogg at DunnFogg, on behalf of Richard Guy at Mat Watson Cars.
Hutchinson Heinemann has acquired a celebration of London’s suburbs from Simon Pollock, the creator of the Instagram @londonsuburbia.
Publisher Helen Conford acquired world rights to I Love Suburbia at auction from Jack Fogg at the Dunn Fogg Agency, with Vanessa Phan as editor, following a two-way auction. The book will be published in September 2024.
Hodder & Stoughton has triumphed over seven other publishers at auction to acquire two veteran financial journalists’ examination of the backroom deals, scandals and secret contracts that truly drive one of the world’s most popular and lucrative sports, Formula One.
Huw Armstrong, editorial director, acquired world all-language rights from Jack Fogg at DunnFogg to Fast Money: The Backroom Deals, Corporate Espionage, and Legendary Power Struggles that Drive Formula One by Caroline Reid and Christian Sylt. Hodder will release the book in autumn 2024; its sister Hachette company, Public Affairs, will be publishing simultaneously in the US. Translation rights have been sold in Dutch (HarperCollins), French (Marabout) and Hungarian (Helikon).
Pan Fiction, an imprint of Pan Macmillan, has landed The Quiet, a beautifully imagined debut from Barnaby Martin.
Publisher Francesca Pathak acquired world English language rights in a two-book deal from Jack Fogg at Dunn Fogg Literary. The novel will be published in spring 2025.
Full story below:
www.thebookseller.com/rights/pan-fiction-lands-barnaby-martins-beautifully-imagined-debut-novel
Profile Books has snapped up Peckish by chef and food writer Ben Benton in a five-way auction.
Nick Humphrey, editorial director, and Jon Petre, assistant editor, jointly acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, from Jack Fogg at Dunn Fogg. It will publish in May 2025.
The book is a “culinary journey across Britain” and the synopsis says: “British food is usually seen as a dire affair — if people think of it at all, they picture fish and chips, tea and cakes, stiff sandwiches and limp vegetables. But the truth is that British food today is one of the world’s most innovative and diverse cuisines… Peckish is a delectable tour celebrating the extraordinary variety of cultures and people in Britain today, a moreish adventure that offers a chef’s perspective on how to find and cook delicious food where you live.”