Virago wins six-publisher fight for Grush's untold space story

Virago has triumphed in a six-publisher auction for The Six: The Untold Story of America’s First Women in Space by science reporter Loren Grush.

Senior commissioning editor Rose Tomaszewska won UK and Commonwealth rights from Victoria Hobbs at A M Heath on behalf of Susan Canavan at the Waxman Literary Agency. US rights were sold to Rick Horgan at Scribner in a 12-publisher auction and Canavan is fielding offers for film and TV. Virago and Scribner will publish simultaneously on a date to be confirmed. The year 2023 will see the 40th anniversary of NASA astronaut Sally Ride’s first space mission and the release of a feature film about her life.

The synopsis explains: “Ride was just one member of the Six – an extraordinary cohort of women recruited by NASA in the Seventies. Greeted in Houston by make-up bags designed for use in space, no designated locker rooms and flight suits that didn’t fit, the Six went on to break barriers on earth and in space. In 1983 Ride became the first American woman to go into space. Anna Fisher was assigned to her first space flight while pregnant. Judy Resnik was killed in the Challenger explosion in 1986. But her legacy – and that of all the Six – lives on. This sparkling history reveals their journey through NASA’s outreach programme, rigorous tests and training, sexism, press attention, and the solidarity with which they overcame obstacles and launched into space.”

Grush’s parents met working as engineers at the Johnson Space Center where the Six became astronauts, growing up surrounded by space shuttles and rocket scientists. She is senior science reporter for The Verge, where she specialises in all things space. She is also the host of “Space Craft”, an original online video series examining what it takes to send people to space.

She said: “I’m so excited to dive into this rich part of NASA’s history, with a story that puts women front and centre. The women of the Six each made such unique contributions to the space programme and to history, and I couldn’t be happier to tell their story as a group working together at the start of the Space Shuttle.”

Tomaszewska added: “The Six is a captivating hidden history of women’s contribution to space travel, and I’m thrilled to be publishing it at Virago where it’ll be part of a rich tradition of celebrating women’s work and a new drive to publish more science writers on our list. The team at Little, Brown each found something incredible, infuriating or inspiring in this fascinating account; but it’s Loren’s vivacious storytelling and sense of these women’s personalities that elevates The Six to a stellar level. I can’t wait to share it and see readers fall in love with Sally, Judy, Anna, Kathy, Shannon and Rhea.”