Bloomsbury seals 'first of its kind' dementia memoir

Bloomsbury has won a “hard-fought” auction for Somebody That I Used to Know by Wendy Mitchell, an NHS worker who was diagnosed with Young-Onset Dementia aged 58.

Mitchell worked in the NHS for 20 years before retiring in 2014, after her diagnosis. Shocked at the lack of awareness about dementia, she devoted her time to educating people in an attempt to reduce the stigma around the condition.

Anna Wharton will co-write the title, which Bloomsbury will publish, supported by a large promotional campaign, in January 2018. Publishing director Alexis Kirschbaum, who signed UK and Commonwealth rights from Jon Elek at United Agents, said: “Wendy’s book will give us insight into a lifechanging experience we have scarcely begun to understand. I feel the weight of responsibility in helping publish a book that can only be described as the first of its kind. It will make a huge impact at publication.”