Hutchinson Heinemann pre-empts Adam Roberts’ debut novel Food Person

Hutchinson Heinemann has pre-empted Food Person, the “hilarious and hopeful at its core” debut novel by food writer Adam Roberts.

Publishing director Ailah Ahmed acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Cecile Barendsma at Cecile B Literary Agency. Jenny Jackson at Knopf pre-empted US rights from Jenni Ferrari-Adler. Hutchinson Heinemann will publish in June 2025.

The publisher describes the novel as being about commitment to self-discovery, the beauty of community, and how unapologetically forging your own future can lead to everyone getting the ending they deserve – as well as very delicious food.

Its synopsis reads: “When twenty-something Isabella Pasternack is fired from her job at a digital food magazine, she accepts a thankless job for the paycheck: to ghostwrite a cookbook for an actress, Molly Babcock, who is trying to repair her reputation after a serious downward spiral. Molly meets Isabella’s earnest attempts to connect with inconsistency, indifference, and cruelty, pushing Isabella to dig in her heels for the first time in her life.

“Isabella’s slice of contemporary New York life is filled out by a cast including an acerbic roommate and best friend Owen, her widowed mother – whose cooking isn’t only bad, it’s dangerous – and a handsome chef love interest."

Ahmed said: “Reading Adam’s novel was like falling in love all over again with all of my favourite things: Nora Ephron’s Julie and Julia, a touch of Lauren Weisberger’s The Devil Wears Prada and “Emily in Paris”, but with food instead of fashion.

“I just sank into the story and had an extremely good time. I can’t remember when a novel made me laugh so much and I’m confident it will make readers feel exactly the same way. What I love most of all is Adam’s depiction of the world being divided into two kinds of people: those who work behind the scenes and those who take centrestage. I loved the exploration of what happens when these two kinds of people go to war. It is a brilliant coming-of-career story.”

Roberts, author of the blog The Amateur Gourmet and host of the “Lunch Therapy” podcast, said: “I’m so thrilled to be working with Hutchinson Heinemann: getting published in the UK is a dream come true. I can’t wait for a UK audience to experience Isabella’s journey into the belly of the beast… the beast being a Hollywood starlet. And though most of the food references should make sense across the pond, if anything doesn’t, feel free to add a little malt vinegar.”