Fourth Estate to publish debut by Coco Mellors

Fourth Estate will publish debut novel Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors.  

Associate publisher Helen Garnons-Williams acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Millie Hoskins at United Agents and Fourth Estate will publish in early 2022. North American rights were sold to Grace McNamee at Bloomsbury. 

Cleopatra and Frankenstein tells the story of an impulsive marriage between Cleo, a young English artist who is studying painting in New York, and Frank, an older, self-made example of the American Dream, who is living a life of excess. Their marriage isn't what either expected and their troubles soon start affecting everyone around them. Mellors is from London and she now lives in the US.

Garnons-Williams said: "We are thrilled to be publishing Coco’s tender, richly-peopled, debut Cleopatra and Frankenstein is a brilliantly written novel about growing up, the way we create family from friends, the choices we make, and the joy, regret and surprises that can come from them." 

Mellors added: "A writer's task is to express feelings through words, but joining Fourth Estate—a publisher I have admired so much for so long—leaves me at a bit of a loss. Delighted, ecstatic, jubilant, thrilled... let's just say I feel some combination of every word for happy there is!"