HarperCollins signs TikTok comedy creator Batten's debut

HarperCollins has signed Gin and Phonics, the debut book by actress, writer and TikTok comedy creator Clara Batten.

HarperNonFiction editor Cyan Turan signed world all-language rights directly from the author. Gin and Phonics will be published in hardback, audio and e-book on 27th April 2023.

Alongside co-writing a comedy series and recently acting in a Sky original film, Batten has risen to TikTok fame with 360,000 followers for sharing comedy sketches that showcase the realities of a middle-class mother trying to make it through the day. 

The publisher said: “In Gin and Phonics, Clara talks candidly about the ups, downs and amusing realities of trying to parent two small people whilst fulfilling her lifelong dream of becoming an actress without losing her bl**dy mind. Told as a series of acerbic vignettes, she shares her unfiltered thoughts on topics such as parenthood, marriage, carving out a new career in your 40s, and how to make it through a kid’s birthday party without a triple-shot G&T. 

“Exuding warmth and humour, Gin and Phonics is the much-needed antidote to Instagram-perfect motherhood. Through her witty and unfiltered tales, Clara reminds us that it’s ok to wear the same pants for two days straight, and it doesn’t matter if we occasionally jump in the wrong car after school drop-off. Well, maybe.”

Batten commented: “I was extremely humbled and very excited to be approached by HarperCollins to write a book. The first thing I said to them was, ‘I absolutely don’t want to do a ’mum book’, banging on about the trials of parenting and needing a drink at the end of the day.’ Which is why I named it Gin and Phonics. Oh, hang on. But really, it’s not one of those books. Of course, I am a mum so my kids are mentioned quite a bit (in fairness, they can be comedy gold) but mainly, Gin and Phonics is a humorous series of vignettes about my increasingly bonkers life with comedic anecdotes from past and present. It’s about how TikTok inadvertently gave this middle-class mum a whole new career in her 40s and my subsequent attempt to fulfil my lifelong dream of becoming an actress, it’s ridiculous stories about the perils of white wine and rose gold hair dye, and it’s an ode to the McDonald’s Drive-Thru (and my ongoing efforts to persuade my kids to come with me). Now I’ve just said all that out loud, I would be utterly shocked if this didn’t win every literary award out there. Oh, and if you think sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, this book probably isn’t for you.”

Turan added: “Clara has a comedian’s knack for dissecting the ridiculous habits of modern life – how we spend hours captivated by 20-somethings flirting on TV, cancel lost phones before finding them days later, and spend hours thinking about making our kids’ fancy dress costumes before buying the supermarket version at 9pm the night before. She is as hilarious on the page as she is in her incredibly popular TikTok sketches, to the extent that editing this book in an open plan office has been a hazard. I know readers will adore Clara’s writing as much as I do."