Hero Press snaps up Duffy's A-Z on death

Hero Press has acquired world rights for D is for Death by Sophie Duffy.

Christian Müller, commissioning editor, acquired rights directly from the author. It will publish on 20th April 2024.  

D is for Death explores the mysteries of mortality “from accidents and bodies, to contagion and ghosts, each letter unveils a new facet of our shared human experience with death” the publisher teased.

“Delve into the peculiar choices for the disposal of your corpse, uncover the power of elegies and epitaphs, and venture into the realm of the paranormal,” it continued. “Reflect on the impact of climate change, explore the significance of war and ponder the mysteries that defy explanation. Learn the secrets of the ancient yew tree and celebrate death’s place in cultures around the world.”

Müller said: “This compelling, empathetic book is at once a memoir, a practical guide for grief and a cultural history of death, full of fascinating and surprising facts. I don’t think I’ve read anything like it before, and I hope Sophie’s writing will encourage anyone who reads it to look at death in a new light.”

Duffy added: “When I was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer during lockdown 2020, I started to write a book about death and our evolving attitudes to it in the UK. At a time of mass grief and personal trauma, I wanted to do something positive: To help prepare us, practically and emotionally, for our own death and for the death of others, expected or not. I am not an expert in any particular death area. I am not an undertaker, an archaeologist, a surgeon, or an end-of-life doula. Instead, I am a curator of death, drawing on different areas and disciplines to show the state of play of death and dying in modern Britain with a remit to help us become more death-positive.”