Footnote Press scoops Warona Jay’s ‘witty and assured’ debut novel

Footnote Press has acquired The Grand Scheme of Things by debut novelist Warona Jay.

Former Footnote commissioning editor Rose Green acquired UK and Commonwealth rights excluding Canada from Emma Leong at Janklow & Nesbit. Serena Arthur, commissioning editor, will take over publication.

North American rights were sold to Jade Hui at Atria in a significant pre-empt by Marya Spence at Janklow & Nesbit US. The Grand Scheme of Things will be published on 12th September in hardback, e-book and audiobook.

The novel is described as an “immersive, whip-smart upmarket novel” perfect for fans of RF Kuang’s Yellowface (Borough Press), Kiley Reid’s Such a Fun Age (Bloomsbury), Yomi Adegoke’s The List (Fourth Estate) and “American Fiction”.

Its synopsis reads: “Meet Relebogile Naledi Mpho Moruakgomo. Or, for short, Eddie: an aspiring playwright who dreams of making it big in London’s theatre world. But after repeated rejections from white talent agents, Eddie suspects her non-white sounding name might be the problem. Enter Hugo Lawrence Smith: good looking, well-connected, charismatic and… very white.

“Stifled by his law degree and looking for a way out of the corporate world, he finds a kindred spirit in Eddie after a chance encounter at a cafe. Together they devise a plan, one which will see Eddie’s play on stage and Hugo’s name in lights. They send out her script under his name and vow to keep the play’s origins a secret until it reaches critical levels of success. Then they can expose the theatre world for its racism and hollow clout-chasing. But as their plan spins wildly out of control, Eddie and Hugo find themselves wondering if their reputations, and their friendship, can survive.”

Born in Botswana, raised in the West Midlands, UK and living in London, Warona Jay studied law at the University of Kent and King’s College London before switching to a creative writing PhD at Brunel. She was shortlisted for the Sony Young Movellist of the Year Award judged by Malorie Blackman as a teen and longlisted for Penguin Random House’s WriteNow Scheme in 2020.

Jay said: “The Grand Scheme of Things is my way of reckoning with my fears of not finding representation or success in a world full of implicit bias. I wanted to explore themes of self-perception, self-actualisation, and how the desire for validation shapes us. It was important for me to shed light on people’s blind spots and contradictions (both systemically and interpersonally), whilst preserving these characters’ humanity. Most importantly, I just wanted to have fun writing it. I’m so grateful to Footnote and my agents at Janklow & Nesbit for welcoming my vision and helping me share my brainchild with the world.”

Arthur said: “Warona has written a witty, assured and smart analysis of representation not only in the theatre world but in the creative industries as a whole, but also a genuinely enjoyable read. The Grand Scheme of Things is full of piercingly insightful scrutiny that makes it hard to put down and is the kind of novel that cries out to be discussed after reading. We’re all so excited about this book at Footnote and I’m so glad to get to work with Warona, Emma, Jade and Mayra on it – it’s a real gem of a novel and I can’t wait for everyone to read it.”