Hodder Press wins eight-way auction for Femonomics by Dr Corinne Low

Hodder Press has won an eight-way bidding war for rights to Femonomics, by American associate professor of business economics and public policy Dr Corinne Low, aiming to "change the conversation around gender inequality".

Executive publisher Kirty Topiwala acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Abigail Koons, Jaidree Braddix and Celeste Fine at Park & Fine Literary and Media. Publishing director Julie Will at Flatiron Books acquired North American rights in a pre-empt and several translation rights have already been sold. The book is scheduled for autumn 2025 publication in the US and UK. 

Femonomics is “a radical new framework – treating women as economic agents who can maximise personal ’profit’ in their lives in the same way that a business maximises financial profit,” Hodder said.

The publisher added: “Low examines the hidden economic trade-offs and trade-ups women face in balancing career and family, and the data-driven ways they can enjoy a better deal at work, in life and at home. Corinne applies economic principles like personal utility function (how we individually maximise profit and joy) and constrained optimisation (making the best choice within external limits) to address uniquely female concerns, like the cost of a biological clock, and arm women with the tools you need to ask for more: from partners, from bosses and from the system itself.” 

Low, who lives in West Philadelphia, commented: “Whenever I present my research at conferences or in class, women from all walks of life – students and colleagues alike – come to me to ask for help deciding whether to end their relationships, freeze their eggs or change careers. Women face such unique challenges in building fulfilling lives for themselves, so I’m thrilled to be publishing this guidebook to the economics of life as a woman and to be sharing all the data-driven, science-backed advice that I’ve learnt from my work over the last decade.” 

Topiwala commented: “It feels like a radical and refreshing idea to apply economics principles to women’s lives and to bring cold hard data to ‘emotional’ decisions. Corinne’s argument, and her voice, is incredibly compelling and everyone who reads this responds with passion – I don’t think I’ve ever had so many people reply to an acquisition circulation. I think Femonomics could genuinely change the conversation around gender inequality.” 

Low’s research on the economics of gender has been published in various journals and featured in publications such as Forbes and Vanity Fair among others. She has spoken at the University of Oxford, the London School of Economics and Stanford University, and advised firms such as Uber and Google. She received her PhD in economics from Columbia University, a degree in economics and public policy from Duke University, and formerly worked for McKinsey & Company.