Wildfire triumphs in seven-way auction for psychotherapist's guide to desire

Wildfire has won a seven-way auction for "an inspiring, thought-provoking and moving" book that takes the reader behind the closed doors of a therapy session, exploring human desire. It is authored by the founding head of psychotherapy at the School of Life, Charlotte Fox Weber.

Publishing director Alex Clarke and senior commissioning editor Ella Gordon co-acquired UK and Commonwealth rights (excluding Canada) in What We Want from Adam Gauntlett at Peters Fraser + Dunlop. It will be published in hardback, trade paperback, e-book and audio in March 2022.

Exploring a different universal human desire in each of its chapters, What We Want is billed as "at once a fly-on-the-wall look at the wants that bind us together, a cautionary tale on the dangers of not articulating our desires, and a practical toolkit for living well".

In the book Weber draws on her past experience with clients whom she has guided towards "profound insights, change and growth" through helping them to confront their trauma and access the root of their wants. A UKCP and BACP psychotherapist, she said she hoped her book "can help readers make sense of our desires and understand how to lead the lives we want".

Clarke said: "Charlotte Fox Weber brings a unique perspective on the value and importance of psychotherapy, showing how people can be guided through the darkest of times with the help of an intelligent, kind and experienced therapist. Charlotte’s mission is to give readers an insight into the reality of therapy, peeling away the misconceptions and the stigma, and she does so with remarkable clarity and humanity. This is going to be a really important book and we can’t wait to share it with you."

Gordon said: "Not only is this book a beautiful and powerful exploration of the desires that make us human, but I’ve never before encountered such an open portrayal of the therapist’s own perspective. It’s this meeting of the professional and the personal that makes What We Want such a uniquely intimate and special reading experience."