Chatto wins ‘fiercely contested’ seven-way auction for Claire Powell’s All In

Chatto & Windus has acquired Claire Powell’s second novel All In in addition to an as-yet-untitled third novel in a “fiercely contested” seven-way auction. Powell’s debut At the Table was published by Fleet in 2022.

Publishing director Becky Hardie acquired UK and Commonwealth rights excluding Canada from RCW’s Georgia Garrett. Publication is scheduled for summer 2026.

All In is set over the course of a scorching weekend and sees struggling couple Jo and Dave go away to a luxury resort where they are thrown together with lost baggage, a flashy brother and his gorgeous girlfriend, a grieving father, a suave Scandinavian, secret money worries and rosé on tap. 

It is described as an “anti-beach read” and a “tender, tragicomic portrait of a couple in crisis and a compulsive and entertaining novel about family, marriage, money—and the search for  meaning when life hasn’t gone to plan.”

Powell said: “What I feared would be the ‘difficult second novel’ turned out to be an absolute pleasure to write: Marital strife! Family dysfunction! European holiday! I’ve been bowled over by the way early readers have embraced the book and, as a lifelong fan of the Chatto and Vintage lists, it’s no understatement to say signing with Becky and her team has been a dream come true.”

Hardie said: “At the Table was one of the most praised debuts of 2022 and Claire’s follow-up is even better. All In is one of the funniest, wisest and most irresistible novels we’ve read at Vintage in a very long time. It’s going to be a riot to publish: the summer campaign ideas are as limitless as an all-inclusive buffet. Claire is such an astute and talented writer, and we are thrilled to welcome her to Chatto.”