Fourth Estate clinches 11-way auction for Caro Claire Burke's 'electrifying' debut
Fourth Estate has acquired the debut novel, Yesteryear, from writer and editor Caro Claire Burke in an 11-way auction.
Editorial director Katie Bowden secured UK and Commonwealth rights including book and audio rights, from Emma Finn at C&W on behalf of Lisa Grubka at United Talent Agency, who sold North American rights in what Fourth Estate tipped as "a very competitive auction” to Jennifer Jackson, senior editor at Knopf. Rights have been sold in a further 10 international territories and publication is scheduled for 2026.
Yesteryear tells the story of a social media influencer who has made her career selling a tradwife fantasy lifestyle until she wakes one day to find herself seemingly in the past, where she might be forced to experience the brutal reality of the homespun, old-fashioned life she’s been promoting online.
The synopsis reads: “Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle – and has the Instagram account to prove it. Her charming farmhouse on her working ranch is artfully cluttered, her husband is a handsome cowboy, her homemade sourdough boules are each more beautiful than the last. So what if there are nannies and producers and industrial-grade ovens behind the scenes?
"What Natalie’s followers don’t know won’t hurt them. Then, one morning, Natalie wakes up in a strange, horrible version of reality. Her daughter informs her that the year is 1805. Is this a hoax? A reality show? A test from God? One thing Natalie does know is that it’ll make one hell of an Instagram post.”
Bowden said: “Yesteryear is an electrifying novel, an unputdownable page-turner that is also one of the most astute explorations of the modern performance of perfection and domestic labour online that I have ever read. Burke’s writing challenges us to think deeply about capitalism and womanhood and it is a thrill for all of us at Fourth Estate to be launching her brilliant fiction career in the UK."
Burke said: "It’s a dream to partner with Katie and the rest of the team at Fourth Estate. As soon as I met them I could tell they were true readers, in the deepest sense.
"Yesteryear is, to me, a novel about the maddening contradictions of modern womanhood, and I’m so grateful to be working with people who are as excited about this topic, and this story, as I am. I’m genuinely thrilled to be launching my career as a novelist with Fourth Estate."
Burke is a writer and social media commentator who been published in The Atlantic, Marie Claire and Bustle. She also has an ongoing short story project, Cover Stories, with a significant following on Instagram and Substack in which she writes short fiction based on popular music. She has 75,000 followers on TikTok, focused on social media trends and cultural moments and currently works as an editor at Katie Couric Media.
