Mudlark triumphs in 18-way auction for book from comedian Schreiber

Mudlark has triumphed in an 18-way auction for a book on the "world's most intriguing ideas" by comedian and podcaster Dan Schreiber.

Joel Simons, editorial director, acquired world all-language rights to The Theory of Everything Else from Ben Dunn at Dunn Literary. The book will be published on 29th September 2022 in the UK and in the US, where Mauro DiPreta is overseeing publication at William Morrow. 

The synopsis says: "The Theory of Everything Else is a collection of some of the world’s most mind-boggling, thought-provoking, goosebump-raising and downright hilarious theories to have been proposed by the people of Earth, written by the co-host of one of the UK’s biggest podcasts, 'No Such Thing as a Fish', Dan Schreiber. A brilliantly original investigation into the world’s most intriguing ideas, it sets out to meet the people who are dedicating their lives to solving life’s biggest questions, such as: Why are we here? Do ghosts exist? Will we ever travel back in time? Are we being visited by extra-terrestrials? Will we ever talk to animals? Are we being told the truth? Are mysterious creatures roaming the Earth? And why, when you’re in the shower, does the shower-curtain always billow in towards you?

"From the Silicon Valley tech billionaires currently trying to work out whether or not the universe is one giant video-game simulation, to the self-proclaimed community of Italian time-travellers who are trying to save the world from destruction, The Theory of Everything Else will act as a handbook for those who want to think differently."

Schreiber said: "I’m incredibly excited that HarperCollins is giving me the chance to explore all these weird and wonderful ideas. Finally, I can justify to my wife why I’ve been spending all our money on books with titles like ‘Who Built the Moon?’ The Theory of Everything Else is a love letter to all the brilliant scientists, museum curators, historians, explorers, philosophers, occultists, ghost-hunters, time-travellers, pubic-lice hunters and shower-curtain investigators that I’ve interviewed for this book, and I hope every page of it blows the reader’s mind.”

Simons added: “I’ve been a huge admirer of Dan’s work for a number of years and jumped at the chance to work with him on his first book. It’s a brilliant idea and Dan is perfectly placed to bring it all to life in his own inimitable way. It’s going to be a fun and fascinating journey and I can’t wait to get started!”

Mauro DiPreta said: “Readers crave answers to the unanswerable, and the peerless Dan Schreiber is most eminently qualified to do so. We are thrilled to publish Dan’s first book, The Theory of Everything Else, in North America."