Penguin Michael Joseph reveals ‘major’ new novel from Moyes

Penguin Michael Joseph (PMJ) has revealed a “major” new novel from bestselling author Jojo Moyes.  

Maxine Hitchcock, publishing director, bought UK and Commonwealth rights to Someone Else’s Shoes from Sheila Crowley at Curtis Brown in a previous deal. It will publish in hardback on 2nd February 2023. “Star Wars” actor Daisy Ridley will read the audiobook.  

The publisher said: “With all the charm, wit and emotion that readers across the world have come to love from Jojo’s novels, Someone Else’s Shoes explores the power of female friendship and tells the story of two women in their 40s who find their lives irrevocably altered when they accidentally swap gym bags. 

“Nisha Cantor and Sam Kemp are two very different women. Nisha lives the globetrotting life of the seriously wealthy, until her husband inexplicably cuts her off entirely. She doesn’t even have the shoes she was, until a moment ago, standing in. That’s because Sam, struggling to keep herself and her family afloat, has accidentally taken Nisha’s gym bag. Now Nisha’s got nothing. And Sam’s walking tall with shoes that catch eyes – and give her career an unexpected boost. Except Nisha wants her life back – and she’ll start with her shoes.” 

Moyes has sold 4.67 million print books for £25.3m via Nielsen BookScan in the UK, with her bestseller Me Before You (Penguin) on 1.02 million copies sold in paperback.   

Moyes said: “Like many people, I’ve found during these tough few years that I’ve wanted to read something lighter than usual, books that swept me away and made me laugh. So that’s the book I wanted to write. Someone Else’s Shoes is a kind of modern day ‘Desperately Seeking Susan’ but with women at the end of their tethers, sexy short-order chefs, hotel underbellies and unexpected friendships forged over toilet brushes. I hope readers have the same feelings reading it as I had writing it.” 

US-based television production company Kinetic Content is confirmed to adapt the novel into a multi-part drama, with Melissa Myers, Carolyn Newman and Chris Coelen on board as executive producers. 

Hitchcock, PMJ’s publishing director for fiction, said: “A new novel from Jojo Moyes is always a cause for celebration and never more so than with Someone Else’s Shoes. One of Jojo’s greatest skills is conjuring up characters who are so real that they practically leap off the pages and straight into your heart and mind. This book is what every reader needs – full of joy, full of warmth and with an ingenious storyline that has you furiously turning the page, only to go back to savour Jojo’s exceptional writing.”