Picador triumphs in 11-way battle for Rabess debut

Picador has triumphed in an 11-publisher auction for Everything's Fine by debut US author Cecilia Rabess, amid a scramble for rights around the world.

Sophie Jonathan, editorial director, bought UK and Commonwealth print, digital and audio rights from Fiona Baird at WME. A publication date is yet to be set.

North American rights have been sold at auction to Carina Guiterman and Lashanda Anakwah at S&S, while translation rights have been pre-empted by Companhia das Letras in Brazil, and won at auction by Germany's Eichborn and Spain's Urano.

Everything’s Fine centres on Jess, a young Black woman, and Josh, a preppy white conservative, who fall reluctantly, complicatedly and deeply in love. The blurb explains: “In 2011, Jess is a senior at an Ivy League college. She drinks far too much, she dates the wrong men and spends her days adopting the values of her privileged friends whilst painfully aware that she isn't like them – all too often the only Black woman in the room. Jess craves belonging and acceptance, but she's fed up with the casual racism, the class debates about affirmative action, and she's particularly fed up with know-it-all, Josh, who isn’t shy about broadcasting his infuriating and insensitive opinions.

“The years turn and Jess and Josh move in and out of each other's lives, working at the same investment bank, and slowly, tentatively forming a mismatched friendship. He is sure of his place in the world, she is just beginning to discover hers – but the momentum of being young and, soon, in love propels their relationship forward. That is, until 2016. Trump is approaching office and the cultural landscape is shifting. Jess is forced to finally ask whether they are meant to be, and if, in fact, everything’s fine.”

Rabess’ work has been featured in McSweeneys, FiveThirtyEight, Fast Co and FlowingData, among others. She drew inspiration for Everything’s Fine from her stint as an associate at Goldman Sachs and after reading a series of profiles in New York Magazine called “Donald Trump Is Destroying My Marriage”.

Jonathan said: “In Everything’s Fine, Cecilia Rabess has gathered a set of urgent issues around a classic love story with incredible heart, and made it enormously relatable and hugely funny. I laughed, I cried, I shouted. And I’ve never known a novel set Picador and Pan Macmillan alight like this one has. Everything’s Fine skewers race, class and capitalist culture, it captures the energy at the heart of the best friendships, and the irresistible tug of attraction. Everything’s Fine deserves to be a global phenomenon, and I am over the moon that Picador will be Cecilia’s UK home.”

The author said: “I’m thrilled to be joining the Picador family! Picador’s reputation for publishing smart, stylish books is 100% unmatched. I’m also thrilled to be working with Sophie, whose razor sharp editorial eye I especially admire. And while my novel centres a uniquely American moment, its themes are universal, and I can’t wait to share it with readers across the globe.”