Headline acquires 'enlightening' book about interracial relationships

Headline has acquired Mixed Up: Confessions of an Interracial Couple, an "eye-opening exploration" of an interracial relationship, by journalists Tineka Smith and Alex Court. 

Released as an Audible Original last year, Katie Packer, commissioning editor, acquired print and e-book rights from Irene Baldoni at Georgina Capel Associates. Headline will publish the book in paperback in April 2021. 

In Mixed Up, Smith and Court will explore what it means to be an interracial couple in a world in which the Black Lives Matter movement and racial tensions are at the forefront of the international agenda. The couple will discuss overt racism and prejudice in public, racial micro-aggressions at work, their hesitance about having a mixed-race child in the 21st century, and being the first interracial couple in their families.

Packer said: "Listening to the audio for Mixed Up was incredibly enlightening and important for me, especially because it reflected my life so distinctly. I knew this book needed to be released out into the world in print so even more people could access Tineka and Alex’s wisdom, and I’m delighted to be publishing it on the Headline non-fiction list."

The authors commented: "We are beyond thrilled to be bringing Mixed Up: Confessions of an Interracial Couple to new audiences through print and ebook formats. Interracial relationships and the conflicts specific to them, are clearly not discussed openly enough. Being in any interracial relationship doesn’t erase racial assumptions or bias. The importance of having open conversations around race, no matter how difficult, is essential to give any mixed race relationship a fighting chance. We are proud to join the Headline family and are honoured to be working with Katie Packer and the Headline team who have championed our vision for making interracial relationships an essential part of the discussion around dismantling racism."