Atlantic wins auction for Channel 4 News correspondent Brown's debut

Atlantic Books has won a three-way auction for Channel 4 News correspondent Symeon Brown's debut Get Rich or Lie Trying: Ambition and Deceit in the New Influencer Economy.

The publisher acquired world rights to the non-fiction work. Publishing director for non-fiction Mike Harpley bought the book from Niki Chang when she was at the Good Literary Agency. Audiobook rights went to Audible.

"One in five children want to be an influencer when they grow up, seduced by a life of glamour and fortune," the publisher's synopsis states, "but do they know what they’re letting themselves in for? As Symeon Brown explores in this searing exposé, the reality is much murkier. 

"From YouTube pranksters to Brazilian butt lifts, and OnlyFans to fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes, Get Rich or Lie Trying reveals the real stories behind the filtered selfies and gleaming smiles. Exposing fraud, exploitation, racism, misogyny and environmental destruction, Brown questions the broken economic model at the heart of the influencer economy, asking if our online race for clout is costing us too much. With an incredible cast of characters from London to LA, this gripping book will captivate and horrify you in equal measure."

Brown is a correspondent for Channel 4 News covering culture, technology and crime. His Guardian long read into "The Wolves of Instagram" was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize and the British Journalism Awards. He has been called "the future of journalism" by Jon Snow and been published by the Guardian, VICE, and the Huffington Post.

Harpley said: "Symeon is a fantastically talented journalist, and we are delighted to be publishing this magnificent book. He makes an important argument about how the influencer economy has filled a void where meaningful and well-paid work used to be – replacing it with a giant pyramid scheme. But he’s also written a really entertaining book that will leave everyone questioning modern internet culture."

Get Rich or Lie Trying: Ambition and Deceit in the New Influencer Economy will be published in hardback, trade paperback, and e-book in March 2022.