Transworld pre-empts The Truth Spectrum for six figures

Transworld has acquired The Truth Spectrum by Hector Macdonald in a six-figure pre-empt for publication in spring 2018.

Transworld publishing director Doug Young pre-empted UK and Commonwealth rights excluding Canada from Euan Thorneycroft at A.M. Heath.

Rights have also been sold to Tracy Behar at Little, Brown in the US in a six-figure pre-empt and to Doug Pepper at Signal, Penguin Random House in Canada. Brazilian rights have been pre-empted by Objetiva, and auctions are currently running in Spain and the Netherlands, with reportedly "extremely strong interest" in other markets.

In The Truth Spectrum, Macdonald, an expert in "business storytelling", reveals and examines how we are all routinely misled by the truth, something refered to as one of our "collective blind spots", now only complicated further in these "post-truth" times.

The Truth Spectrum aims to show readers how to navigate a world of conflicting truths, drawing on a wide array of timely examples, ranging from the disingenuous use of statistics by the Labour party and Donald Trump to the notion in 2013 that Western demand for quinoa was hurting Andean farmers. In the book, Macdonald will also examine a number of contributing factors, from the influence of Facebook to misleading advertising campaigns.

Macdonald is a strategic communications consultant who advises corporate leaders. He has worked across multiple industries including Financial Services, Telecoms, Technology and Health, with clients including Barclays, Pfizer, the NHS, the World Gold Council and Deloitte, among others. He is also the author of The Mind Game (Penguin), and three other novels.

Macdonald said: "We all need to get better at recognising the misleading truths around us if we are to counter the kind of political dislocation we have witnessed in the past year. But we also need to get better at choosing the right truths to communicate ourselves. I relish the opportunity to explore how we can bring more clarity and honesty to conversations in politics, at work and in our personal lives."

Pepper said: "We are thrilled to be publishing Hector’s book. He writes with a fantastically engaging clarity about a complex subject which could not be more urgent or topical."