Ebury buys Bartlett's story of 'Missing Cryptoqueen'

Ebury Press will publish The Missing Cryptoqueen by Jamie Bartlett, based on his BBC podcast of the same name. 

Publisher Andrew Goodfellow acquired world rights from Caroline Michel at PFD (representing Bartlett) and Luigi Bonomi at LBA (representing the BBC). The title is scheduled for release in July 2021.

"The Missing Cryptoqueen" podcast, hosted by Bartlett and Georgia Catt, explores the life and disappearance of Dr Ruja Ignatova, a convicted fraudster best known as the founder of a Ponzi scheme called OneCoin. Ignatova disappeared in 2017 and has been on the run from law enforcement agencies around the world since. According to Ebury, the podcast recorded more than 3.5 million downloads in 2019. New episodes are currently being released by the BBC. 

In The Missing Cryptoqueen, Bartlett will delve further into the story of the rise, fall and disappearance of Ignatova. 

Goodfellow says: "Jamie is already a much-loved, award-winning Ebury author, but the Cryptoqueen wormhole has taken him and his BBC listeners on a mind-blowing journey that has captivated the world. So much incredible material is still unfolding in this story, and that will ensure it is an amazing treat for fans of the podcast and new readers alike."

Bartlett commented: "The podcast series only scratched the surface. The book will shine a light on the true extent of OneCoin's fraud, and Ruja's links to organised crime, money launderers and corrupt politicians, and how she pulled off the most infamous vanishing act of the century.

"The Missing Cryptoqueen will be full of brand-new details and explosive revelations about how Ruja and OneCoin tricked investors, regulators, journalists and the police for so many years, and what really happened to the genius businesswoman who promised financial revolution, but delivered financial ruin to millions."

Ebury Press published Bartlett's The People Vs Tech in 2018. He is also the author of The Dark Net and Radicals (both William Heinemann).