Piatkus acquires The Mind Workout

Piatkus has acquired The Mind Workout: Twenty Steps to Emotional Fitness by mental health coach Mark Freeman.

The book is described as combining mindfulness, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy ,as part of a new method for overcoming compulsions, developing focus and building better mental health and fitness.

Editorial director Zoe Bohm acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Hattie Grunewald at Blake Friedmann for publication in trade paperback, e-book and audio in Spring 2017.

Bohm called it a "timely and important" book. "So many of us have embraced healthy eating and exercise as a means of living well, but it’s crucial to recognise the importance of improving our mental fitness too," she said. "The Mind Workout will provide anyone struggling with the pressures of everyday life with a proactive, preventative approach to overcoming mental health challenges. I hope this book will inspire readers to devote time and energy to building their mental fitness as well as keeping their bodies in shape."

Freeman said it was a book he wished had existed when he was struggling with mental illness. He added: "It's a pleasure to be working with Hattie and Zoe on bringing simple, evidence-based tools to a broad audience in a way that makes better mental health and fitness accessible."

The growing trend for books in the area of mental health was reported on by The Bookseller in February. Nielsen BookScan showed Self-Improvement as a category up 73.75% to £4.46m over the 53 weeks of 2015, while Popular Psychology was up 5.51% to £11.3m over 2015.