Cornerstone pre-empts biologist Johnson's Gut Feelings within 24 hours of submission

Cornerstone Press has pre-empted Gut Feelings by biologist Katerina Johnson, within 24 hours of submission. 

Publisher Helen Conford acquired UK and Commonwealth rights excluding Canada from Kate Evans at PFD in a "significant" six figure pre-empt, and the book will be published by Cornerstone Press in early 2026.

The book has also been pre-empted by Emily Graff at Simon Element in the US for six figures, and by Rowohlt in Germany, Pax in Norway, Zysk in Poland and Paidos in Spain. Auctions are ongoing in The Netherlands and Hungary.

The book explores the role that the gut–brain connection plays in our emotional and social lives. The synopsis says: "Over the last decade, as interest in the gut-brain link has boomed, and technical possibility has caught up, Dr Katerina Johnson has devoted her research to a question that refuses to fit neatly into a single scientific box.

"Why would the gut develop the ability to impact our brain, and what’s in it for us? Packed with ground-breaking but accessible science, Gut Feelings is a deep dive into how and why our emotions, decisions, instincts, cravings, memories, and social lives are all tied to our gut, and how we can tap into this knowledge to live better lives."

Johnson is a biologist from the University of Oxford where she works with Robin Dunbar on the social impact of the gut-brain. Her doctorate in Interdisciplinary Bioscience combined her background in biology and evolution with the disciplines of psychology and psychiatry.

Conford said: "I just had to listen to my gut when I read Gut Feelings – it’s rare to find a book that offers us something new and profound about our bodies and how we are, written with an eye for levity and an ability to draw out new findings about ‘the wisdom of the body’."

Johnson added: "I’m honoured to work with such revered publishers and couldn’t have wished for a better home for my book. I relish this opportunity to tell the story of gut feelings and to change people’s perspectives. My hope is that my book brings the beauty of science to the public in a way that not only sparks wonder but helps us better understand ourselves and how we can tap into the extraordinary connections between our gut and brain.”

Evans added: "I’ve never had a book elicit a response quite so immediate and so intense as this one. It’s not surprising, Gut Feelings is so abundantly full of both wonder and insight and I’m so glad for it to have found a home at Cornerstone Press."