S&S UK signs 'timely' book on migration

Simon & Schuster UK has bought a “timely examination of the importance of migration” from a think tank founder.

The New Nomad by Felix Marquardt explains the image of migration is wrong, according to the blurb. The concept of refugees fleeing ‘their’ country to come to ‘ours’ is incorrect as throughout history, Marquardt argues, migration has been the most widely available means by which lives are improved.

Ian Marshall, editorial director for non-fiction, bought UK and Commonwealth rights to the "timely examination of the importance of migration" from Gordon Wise at Curtis Brown. It is slated for publication in March 2019.

In the book, Marquardt argues that as “we keep obsessing about immigration, we are losing track of one of the most powerful and wonderful phenomenon of our time: young people are re-embracing the nomadism of our ancestors on a bigger scale, moving everywhere from anywhere”. Marquardt claims that immigration is the key to people's future success and our societies’ as a whole.

The author’s career has spanned producing rap to politics and as well as advising heads of state and he contributes to CNN, the BBC, the New York Times among other publications. He is the founder and chair of Youthonomics, a London-based think tank and data analytics social business focused on youth empowerment.

Of mixed American, German, Greek, Hungarian, Polish heritage and Parisian by birth, Marquardt “personifies the book’s subject”, while he has lived and worked in France, the United States, Tunisia, Sweden as well as London.

He said: “Until recently, the phrase 'citizens of the world' applied to the few. It is now owned by the many. Come and meet them. The new nomads hold the key to our survival as a species.”

Marshall said: “In an era of Brexit and Trump, and with the Windrush generation at the forefront of our minds, this is a timely and important book that highlights the benefits of migration.

“Too often we look to close things down, and narrow our horizons. But what Felix shows so brilliantly is that wherever we come from there are always more opportunities available further afield.”

He added: “This is a book that not only confronts one of the major issues of our time, but is sure to appeal to anyone who read books such as Tim Marshall’s Prisoners of Geography.”

The announcement comes days after The Bookseller's investigation into how the non-fiction market is experiencing a dramatic shift, with "more intelligent" titles on the rise, partially the result of the continuing wane of the celebrity market.