Oneworld wins three-way auction for Funmi Fetto's short story collection

Oneworld has won a three-way auction for the UK and Commonwealth rights to British-Nigerian Vogue journalist Funmi Fetto’s "extraordinary" collection of short stories, Hail Mary.

Juliet Mabey, publisher at Oneworld, acquired the UK and Commonwealth print, e-book and audio rights, excluding Canada, from Meredith Miller at United Talent, on behalf of Pilar Queen.  

Hail Mary will be published in hardback in April 2025 as a superlead title under Oneworld’s Magpie imprint, underpinned by an extensive publicity and marketing campaign. Harper will publish simultaneously in North America.

“In this stunning collection of stories, set between Nigeria and London, Funmi Fetto addresses a range of social and cultural ideas – consent, power structures, belief systems and more – through the lives of nine Nigerian women,” Oneworld said.

“A young mother contemplating fraud for the sake of her son, a widow rediscovering her identity through the vehicle of food, a housemaid for a wealthy Lagos family keeping a dark secret, a childless woman who goes to extreme lengths to fulfil societal expectations to have a child – Hail Mary illuminates the private lives of Nigerian women in these searing stories.” 

Unspoken, included in this collection of stories, is shortlisted for the VS Pritchett Short Story Prize 2025.

Fetto said: “In writing the stories in Hail Mary, I wanted to highlight the breadth of Nigerian women that I have known, heard of and imagined – they are not a monolith.  I also wanted to humanise their stories because, at the heart of it, the issues addressed in Hail Mary – flawed marriages, childhood trauma, dashed dreams, abuse of power – are completely universal.”

Mabey commented: “Funmi has produced a range of stunning, perceptive and heartfelt stories in this brilliant debut collection. With deep authenticity she explores the challenges her characters face and shows what it might take to confront traditional expectations. She is such an exciting literary talent and we are absolutely delighted to be publishing her on our Magpie list.”

Fetto, a London-based journalist and editor, is currently the style editor at British Vogue. As a digital and print journalist, her work largely intersects across art, beauty, culture, race and identity. She has worked and written for numerous publications including Vanity Fair, InStyle, Sunday Times Style, FT, Guardian, Telegraph, Tatler, Glamour and Observer among others, and is the author of the bestselling book Palette: The Beauty Bible for Women of Colour (Coronet).