Hachette Books Ireland snaps up Instagram debut novel from White

Hachette Books Ireland has snapped up an "incredible" debut novel by Irish journalist Sophie White about the world of Instagram influencers.

World rights for Filter This were acquired by editorial director Ciara Doorley direct from the author. The book will be published in the UK and Ireland on 5th September.

It follows Ali Jones who inadvertently leads people to believe she is pregnant, quickly realising riding the ‘Mummy Influencer’ wave could be her ticket to Insta-success even if, off-screen, her life is falling apart. Things get complicated when Tinder Sam, her one-night-stand, resurfaces, determined to take his new role as baby daddy seriously. Elsewhere on Insta, Ireland’s biggest influencer Shelly Divine appears to have it all but she harbours a secret from her followers. What will it take for Ali and Shelly to realise what’s truly important before they lose what matters most?

Doorley said: “We’re thrilled to be publishing Sophie White’s first novel. She is an incredible talent and Filter This is a witty, clever and contemporary story which is sure to get people talking. Along with a genius plotline that moves along at a rate of knots, Sophie’s writing has real depth and resonance seen especially in her flawed, complicated and utterly believable heroines.  We’re delighted to be publishing Filter This and to be working with Sophie on the start of an exciting career as a fiction writer. Watch this space."

White added: “I was a late adopter of Instagram, I didn't join till late 2016 which was a bit like arriving late to a party and everyone is already bananas drunk. I soon became fascinated by the influencer scene. I love the #inspoquotes, rambling, heartfelt misspelt captions and hilariously contradictory posts about #digitaldetox and #selfcare. With Filter This, I wanted to explore the anxiety that comes with living a filtered version of our lives online, to question what’s driving our need for ‘likes’ and show how the seemingly perfect lives can sometimes belie real suffering.”