Bookouture's Thread acquires memoirs and true crime

Bookouture has acquired four memoirs and its first true crime story for its new non-fiction imprint, Thread.

Publisher Claire Bord and publishing executive Nina Winters have added to several non-fiction titles already published by the imprint, launched in May 2020.

Intended to "reflect the world we live in", among those newly acquired is In My Mother’s Footsteps, in which a Palestinian refugee returns home to rediscover her roots and her mother’s past in "an intimate and tender account of daily life in Palestine as never seen before". Bord acquired world all language rights from the author, Mona Hajjar Halaby, directly and will publish in May this year.

Unlost by adventurer Gail Muller tells the story of a woman with debilitating physical pain, completing the notoriously challenging South West Coast Path of the Appalachian trail against the odds. Out in July 2021, Bord acquired world English language rights from Hannah Ferguson at the Hardman & Swainson Literary Agency.

I Named My Dog Pushkin (and Other Immigrant Tales) by Russian-born journalist and author Margarita Gokun Silver publishes in July 2021. In 1989, Margarita convinced her Soviet-Jewish family to escape the Soviet Union and look for greener pastures in the United States. In the book, the author chronicles her experience, tackling antisemitism and escaping the Soviet authorities with the same sense of humour she uses to talk about raising her teenage daughter. Winters acquired world all language rights for the "sharply witty" collection of essays from the author directly.

Publishing in September 2021, the fourth memoir is Unspoken, in which the writer and podcaster co-host of "Is This Working?", Tiffany Philippou, describes what one person’s death taught her about life. An account of her life after the tragic suicide of her boyfriend when the couple were university students, the book follows her journey in the 10 years following his death. Bord acquired world English language rights from Jonathan Conway at the Jonathan Conway Literary Agency.

Thread will also publish its first true-crime story by Thomas & Mercer suspense author Ellen Green. Scheduled for January 2022, the book explores the story of the first recorded mass shooting in the United States, when in 1949, 28-year-old Howard Barton Unruh shot 13 people in less than 12 minutes on his block in East Camden, New Jersey. The author makes use of access to newly released police reports, eyewitness accounts and extensive interviews with the family of Raymond Haven who knew the killer. Bord acquired world rights from Jessica Alvarez at the Bookends Literary Agency.

All titles will be publishing in e-book, paperback and audio simultaneously.