Pavilion Books acquires Eleanor Tattersfield’s Lockdown Secrets

Pavilion Books is to publish designer and shop owner Eleanor Tattersfield’s Lockdown Secrets, a book based on a collection of anonymous postcards sent to her during lockdown.

In the thick of the 2020 coronavirus lockdown, Tattersfield put out a call on Instagram, saying: "I'll send you a postcard, you send me a secret".  The synopsis explains: "Lockdown Secrets is an astonishing record of what happened next. The book will offer a compelling collection of anonymous postcards sent during lockdown, revealing hilarious, salacious, relatable and sometimes heartbreaking secret confessions. Postcards poured in, some beautifully decorated, some simply handwritten, but each one anonymously sharing a very personal confession. They came from people of all ages and all walks of life, even including some celebrities. This book brings together the best of the postcards and all human life is here: furtive infidelities, bad behaviour in the local bakery, sneaking off for baths during a busy homeschooling schedule, rediscovered marital bliss and, occasionally, poignant moments of sadness and despair." 

Tina Persaud, publishing director of Batsford at Pavilion Books, acquired world rights from David Headley at DHH Literary Agency. The publisher will release as a gift book for Christmas 2021.

Persaud said: “We’re delighted to be working with Eleanor. Her Lockdown Secrets campaign reveals extraordinary confessions that vary from the hilarious to the heartbreaking. The beautiful postcards are a real insight into lockdown Britain.”

Tattersfield is the proprietor of Marby & Elm, a print workshop and stationery store on Exmouth Market, London, where she designs and hand-makes stationery. The shop started in her garden shed and grew into a family business.

She said: “I’m thrilled to be working with the team at Batsford, as they get how exciting and important to the history of lockdown this project is and will pull out all the stops, like me, to get this beautiful book under every Christmas tree this year!”