Pan Macmillan makes 48-hour pre-empt on Anna Brook-Mitchell's Motherfaker

Pan Macmillan has snapped up Motherfaker in a 48-hour pre-empt, tipped as “the hilariously funny and deeply moving début book club novel” by Anna Brook-Mitchell, a BAFTA-winning comedy writer and actor.

Pan Fiction will publish Motherfaker in hardback in early 2026 as a super-lead launch. The book was the subject of major buzz at the Frankfurt Book Fair last month.

Publishing director Katie Loughnane pre-empted UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, from Jemima Forrester at David Higham Associates in her first acquisition since joining Pan Fiction last June. German rights have been acquired at auction by dtv and Hungarian rights sold to Libri. 

Motherfaker tells the story of Barri Brown, “a rebel in a smock dress who has spent years slaving away as an English teacher in Guernsey, covering for colleagues with kids”, Pan Macmillan said. Desperate to travel and start over somewhere new, Barri’s only chance at getting away while still being paid is to pretend she’s having a baby. So she tells the school she’s pregnant, orders seven bumps on the internet and sets the wheels in motion for her great pregnancy heist. How hard could it be? 

Brook-Mitchell said: “The moment I met Katie, I knew she was the perfect person to be given custody of Motherfaker. I’m so excited to be embarking on my novel-writing career with the wonderful team at Pan Macmillan and I can’t wait for readers to meet Barri—a character who is wholly and unapologetically herself.” 

Loughnane said: “After reading the first few pages of Anna’s novel, I knew that I had to be the editor to publish it. I was hooked in by the genius concept of a pregnancy heist, and Barri’s unconventional journey to a paid year off work kept me turning the pages, but what I loved the most was seeing her character grow over the course of the novel—even if her belly didn’t.  

“This novel is feisty, fresh and funny but also a nuanced exploration of being ‘childfree by choice’ in a world where society still views motherhood as a woman’s primary role. Anna Brook-Mitchell is a hugely exciting new talent in fiction and we already have ambitious plans in the works to launch her début novel in 2026.” 

Forrester said: “I couldn’t be more thrilled to have found Anna and Barri the perfect UK home at Pan Macmillan. This hilarious novel both tickled me and touched my heart, and I can’t wait for readers to discover it. I know it’s in the safest, most passionate and most ambitious hands with Katie and the team at Pan Mac. Being Katie’s first acquisition in her new role only adds to the excitement.” 

Brook-Mitchell is a BAFTA Rocliffe Comedy award-winning writer, actor and filmmaker.