Hodder acquires Gannon's manifesto for staying human on the internet

Hodder & Stoughton has acquired (Dis)Connected: How to Stay Human in an Online World by podcaster and author Emma Gannon.

Publisher Briony Gowlett acquired world rights, excluding the US and Canada, from Abigail Bergstrom, head of publishing at Gleam Titles. 

While examining how our relationship with the internet has changed, with increasing awareness of how algorithms manipulate us and how our data has made us a product to be sold, Gannon's book offers "tangible tips and advice for those of us who might feel a little lost right now and want to find themselves again".

Gannon, podcast host and author of Ctrl Alt Delete (Ebury) and The Multi-Hyphen Method (Hodder & Stoughton), said: "I'm so excited about this book, it's something I've been thinking about for a while having realised how much my relationship with the internet has changed; how disconnected I was feeling and reflecting on what I was missing from the earlier days of being online. How do we make the internet a more human place? How can we be better communicators and online citizens to each other? How can we have better conversations? It's something I'm excited to unpick in this new book."

Gowlett said: "Much has and will be written about the consequences of our dependence on digital platforms, but Emma’s unique wisdom on retaining our humanity – often against the odds! – online was an irresistible angle that hooked me instantly. I’m thrilled to be publishing more non-fiction from Emma."

Gannon, whose podcast "CTRL, ALT, DELETE"  has now reached 5.5 million listeners in more than 100 countries, also wrote a novel for HarperCollins, Olive, published in July after it was secured in a two-book pre-empt.

The book is due for publication in December 2021.

(Dis)Connected: How to Stay Human in an Online World will be published in hardback and digital editions on 23rd December 2021.