Black & White signs up Donna Ashworth for five more books

Black & White has acquired Growing Brave and four more titles from bestselling poet, Donna Ashworth.

Susanna Abbott, publishing director, acquired world all-languages rights directly from the author.

Growing Brave: Words to soothe fear and let in more life, will be publishing this September, and is described by Black & White as “a powerful new collection of wisdom and poetry to find strength and courage as we brave life’s challenges”.

The other four books, in a new contract, are set to publish over the course of the next year and a half, and include a daily journal, a children’s poetry book and more poetry books for adults. Ashworth’s most recent hardback, Wild Hope (Black & White) was a Sunday Times bestseller when it published in 2023. 

Ashworth said: “My new collection centres around the theme of bravery. Fear is a limiting factor for many of us and if we don’t challenge it, we can find ourselves keeping out more of the good stuff in life than the bad. I have written Growing Brave to help us find strength and courage on the days we feel lost, to soothe fear when we are in its grip and to open ourselves to let in more life. I hope readers will find understanding, comfort, courage and many perspective shifts in its pages, as well as see that there are many ways to be brave in this life. I am delighted to be continuing my publishing journey with Black & White and to be branching out into writing for children as well. Whatever age we are, poetry has the power to change how we think about ourselves and others, and to choose how we live in a given moment. When my words touch people’s hearts and help them find courage in living this for me is worth everything.” 

Abbott added: “Donna is breathing new life into poetry and opening it up to a whole new readership with her words of comfort and wisdom. It is no surprise that, thanks to her, 2023 saw the strongest sales ever recorded for this genre. Donna has a unique ability to help readers feel seen, comforted and held through life’s challenges. I am happy to be working with her on her beautiful new book Growing Brave, as well as the four new titles we have planned together which will also see her branch out into journaling and children’s publishing.”