The Bodley Head wins five-way auction for Ben Martynoga book about Earth’s microbiome

The Bodley Head has won a five-way auction for neurobiologist and award-winning science writer Ben Martynoga’s "mind-expanding book" about the Earth’s microbiome.

Deputy publishing director Will Hammond acquired UK and Commonwealth rights on behalf of The Bodley Head from Carrie Plitt at FBA at auction. Four publishers had attempted to pre-empt the book within 48 hours.

Sarah Murphy acquired North American rights on behalf of Ecco (HarperCollins) in a "major deal" after a seven-way auction. Rights have also been sold to Fischer in Germany, in a pre-empt, to Mondadori in Italy and to Paidós in Spain. The Bodley Head will publish No Small Matter in hardback, e-book and audiobook.

The synopsis states: "No Small Matter by Ben Martynoga dramatically expands our notion of the microbial world to the largest possible scale and shows its power and importance as never before, introducing readers for the first time to the Earth’s microbiome. Crossing eons and continents, from the dawn of life to the future of our species, from the upper atmosphere to the depths of Earth’s crust, this awe-inspiring global adventure draws on pathbreaking science across multiple fields to reveal the all-pervasive microbes that connect every realm of our planet and play integral roles in every aspect of life on Earth."

Hammond said: "Ben Martynoga’s book inverts our expectations not only of microbes, but of the planet as a whole, effecting a kind of revolution in our perspective on both. Until now we have tended to think of microbes as inhabiting us and our world—but what No Small Matter shows is that we inhabit them and their world, and that all of the biggest and most pressing questions about our species and our environment can only be answered with the Earth’s microbiome in view."

Martynoga added: "The vast majority of living things on Earth are completely invisible. These microscopic organisms form a microbiome for the entire planet—and it is essential to the flourishing of all larger life forms, including us."