Hodder's 48-hour pre-empt for soil ecologist

Hodder Press has pre-empted soil ecologist Frank Ashwood’s first book The World Beneath Our Feet, a microscopic tour of the layers of soil our world is built upon.

Agent Matt Turner at RCW sold UK Commonwealth rights to Anna Baty at Hodder & Stoughton in a major 48-hour pre-empt, and North American rights to Hilary Redmon at Random House Books in a seven-way auction for a significant six-figures. German rights have also been pre-empted by Piper Verlag.

A lead title for Hodder Press, The World Beneath Our Feet will be published simultaneously by the UK and US publishers in spring 2027.

Dr Ashwood is a soil ecologist and macrophotographer who researches soil animals and habitats. He said: “I wrote this book to open readers’ eyes to the vital ecosystems we walk over every day, but rarely take the time to consider. My hope is that this will be an illuminating and captivating journey of discovery, to make readers fall in love with, and finally appreciate, the wonderful world of soil."

Baty added: "Frank’s writing is so exquisite the page practically glitters. He reveals an ecosystem abuzz with life and activity, one we overlook at our peril. Perfect for readers of Thomas Halliday’s Otherlands, Ed Yong’s An Immense World and Merlin Sheldrake’s Entangled Life, The World Beneath Our Feet inspires a sense of awe and wonder about nature at a minute level, akin to going for a walk with a small child. It’s both intimate and sweeping, scientific and magical. I am convinced that readers all over the globe will feel a thrill, child-like wonder and sense of surprise at encountering this world below our feet."