Mudlark secures Cholmeley's Silver Moon bookshop memoir

Mudlark has signed a book from feminist bookshop Silver Moon’s co-founder Jane Cholmeley, A Bookshop of One’s Own: How a Group of Women Set Out to Change the World.

Anna Mrowiec, senior commissioning editor at the HarperCollins imprint, negotiated the deal for UK and Commonwealth rights with James Spackman at The bks Agency. A Bookshop of One’s Own will be published in hardback, e-book and audiobook on 29th February 2024, ahead of International Women’s Day on 8th March.

HarperCollins said: “The Silver Moon bookshop on London’s Charing Cross Road was nothing short of iconic. Co-founded by Jane Cholmeley in 1980s London, it went on to become Europe’s biggest women’s bookshop, hosting a constellation of literary stars from Maya Angelou to Margaret Atwood and Angela Carter. Silver Moon opened in Thatcher’s Britain against a backdrop of homophobia and misogyny. Yet in an industry dominated by men and at a time when the government was attacking the gay community with Clause 28, it went onto provide sanctuary and inspiration to thousands of women.

“A Bookshop of One’s Own is the story of a little feminist bookshop that thrived, against all odds, from a woman at the heart of the women’s liberation movement – a true feminist and lesbian icon. A fascinating slice of social history, it reveals the struggle and joy that comes with starting an underdog business, and it’s a celebration of the power women have to change the narrative when they are the ones holding the pen.”

Cholmeley said: “This is a story of books, politics, love and laughter. It is from a time when there were culture wars, but the Gay and Women’s Liberation Movements were running strong. There was so much energy and we felt we could change the world for the better.

"We must know our history. Not just for the record, but for vigilance in the future. It is particularly timely, today, when the battles we fought on issues of women’s safety, abortion, LGBTQ rights, the banning of books and suppression of diverse voices have reared up again around the world.”

She added: “HarperCollins sponsored the Young Bookseller of the Year Award in Memory of Silver Moon’s [co-founder] Sue Butterworth, and I could not be more happy that they are publishing this book and will bring it to the widest possible audience; those who knew Silver Moon and the next generations.” 

Mrowiec commented: “Jane truly is an inspiration. What she, Sue Butterworth and Jane Anger did is extraordinary, creating not only a successful business but a unique space for female writers to thrive – it’s unsurprising that the likes of Jacqueline Wilson and Sandi Toksvig have named her an icon.

"Reading her memoir transports the reader to a very different time and into the heart of a vibrant movement, with a story that’s told with great insight, humour and attitude – and with some great titbits about the literary stars of the age. Jane has always shone a light on the work of other people, so we are glad the world is finally going to hear her own story.”

Silver Moon was founded 1984 in Charing Cross Road, London, by Cholmeley and business partner Butterworth. It closed in 2001 following substantial rent increases but re-opened the following year as a specialist department within Foyle’s bookshop.