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Jonathan Cape bags Becky Barnicoat's illustrated antidote to parenting books
Jonathan Cape, an imprint at Vintage, Penguin Random House, has acquired Cry When the Baby Cries by Becky Barnicoat.
A deal for UK & Commonwealth rights was made with Rachel Clements at Abner Stein. US rights were sold to Gallery Books by Lindsay Edgecombe at Levine Greenberg Rostan.
Born out of a piece in The New Yorker that went viral, Barnicoat’s illustrated book is a “darkly humorous” antidote to parenting books.
Cry When the Baby Cries will be published in March 2025.
Bea Hemming, deputy publishing director at Jonathan Cape, said: “It is an absolute joy to be publishing Becky Barnicoat’s debut book at Cape. Many of us know the genius and wit of her cartoons, but this book also shows her to be an exceptional storyteller. Cry When the Baby Cries is moving, relatable, graphic (in every sense), and very, very funny. It’s the book every parent will wish they had could have read sooner and want to press into the hands of every parent-to-be. It is also a book about the early years of being a parent that—uniquely and gloriously—offers no advice, and yet contains more wisdom, solidarity and insight than a whole shelf of parenting manuals.”
Barnicoat said: “It is a dream to have my debut graphic memoir published by Jonathan Cape, the home of all my comics heroes from Posy Simmonds to Marjane Satrapi, Raymond Briggs and many more. For so long, having babies has been squeamishly hidden out of sight, so that generations of mothers had no idea if they were the only ones crying and covered in sick alone at home. I hope that my very honest (and definitely slightly graphic) memoir about having children will make other parents feel seen. I am delighted to have Bea Hemming and the brilliant team at Cape looking after my very personal story.”
Barnicoat is a cartoonist and writer who has drawn for The New Yorker, Guardian, BuzzFeed and Grazia, and has a weekly cartoon strip in The New Statesman. She has also illustrated Holding the Baby by Nell Frizzell and 101 Tiny Changes to Brighten Your World by Ailbhe Malone. She lives with her family by the sea.
