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Heather Morris signs new two-book deal with Manilla Press
New Bonnier Books UK imprint Manilla Press is publishing the first work of non-fiction by The Tattooist of Auschwitz (Zaffre) author Heather Morris in a new two-book deal.
Publisher Margaret Stead sealed a deal for world rights direct from the author and her management team. Stories of Hope: Finding Inspiration in Everyday Lives, will be published this autumn on 17th September.
The synopsis says: “In Stories of Hope, Heather Morris will explore the art of listening — a skill she employed when she met Lale Sokolov, the tattooist of Auschwitz. It was her ability to listen that led him to entrust her with his story. From a young age Heather discovered that people would tell her their stories if she stopped and listened. Growing up in rural New Zealand, on her way back across the paddocks from school, Heather would visit her great-grandfather and listen to his experiences of war — stories he told only Heather.”
Morri has sold 1.3 million books for £8.39m, and The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a whisker away from a million copies sold in paperback now, at 964,838. It was also the bestselling fiction title of 2019.
She said: “I am honoured to be asked to put into print my experiences over, dare I say it, many decades, listening to family, old friends, new friends. I am humbled by the many people, the youngest just nine years old, who have written to me, and to have had the opportunity to share with readers their stories of hope. Thankfully I discovered a long time ago that listening was the secret to discovering great stories. I am delighted to be once again working with Margaret Stead, Kate Parkin and the team at Bonnier Books in crafting not only a book but reaching out further with our exciting website.”
Stead added: “The team at Bonnier Books UK are delighted to be publishing Heather Morris’s first work of non-fiction, Stories of Hope. Heather will reflect on her extraordinary journey, which began on the day she met Lale Sokolov, who was the Tattooist at Auschwitz. At the heart of Heather’s huge talents is her ability to listen, and it is this skill that she will explore and explain in this charming and accessible work.”
A new website called Stories of Hope will also be launched to support the book. Curated by Morris and inspired by letters she received after her previous two books, it will encourage other people to record and share their own stories.
Kate Parkin, m.d. of adult trade publishing at Bonnier Books UK, said: “We are hugely excited by this new chapter in the Heather Morris story. Her genius for listening and her extraordinary capacity for writing and sharing untold stories of courage have resonated with millions of readers all over the world. At a time when we need to listen to each other as never before, we are proud to be publishing Stories of Hope.”
