Transworld snaps up two books in ‘hotly contested’ six-figure auction

Transworld has snapped up two books from tech entrepreneur turned author Thomas R Weaver in a “hotly contested” six-figure auction. Deputy publishing director Thorne Ryan acquired UK and Commonwealth rights in two novels at auction. Transworld will publish Artificial Wisdom as a lead title on the Bantam list in hardback, ebook and audio autumn 2025, with its sequel, Infinite Wisdom, coming in autumn 2026. The UK will publish simultaneously with the US, where world rights were acquired by Anne Groell at Del Rey (PRH US) from David Fugate (Launch Books) in a major pre-empt.

Artificial Wisdom is a “genre-defying technothriller” that explores a near-future world in which AI shapes global politics, forcing humanity to confront the ethical costs of survival in a climate-ravaged landscape. Weaver originally self-published Artificial Wisdom in October 2023.

Ryan said: “Artificial Wisdom blew my mind. A pulse-pounding race against the clock with a Sherlock-worthy murder mystery at its heart; an achingly tender examination of grief and loss; a philosophical challenge to the reader to grapple with the biggest questions about the nature of humanity and the human condition; a warning to us all about the impact of our choices today on our children’s tomorrow. Thomas brings together all these elements and many more by way of memorable characters and truly stand-out writing, transcending the boundaries of genre to deliver a reading experience that is unlike any I’ve had before. I am in awe of what he has already achieved with his independent publishing, and am so thrilled that he has now chosen Transworld to partner with him to bring his unique, truly special voice to as many readers as humanly possible.”

Weaver said: “I always thought of indie publishing the same way I thought about my startup career, a windmill that creates momentum and energy behind it. My skills are in that early stage: creating a quality product and finding an audience that loves it. The dream was always to exit, once more, to a powerhouse who could scale it to new audiences I’d never reach alone. That said, it’s one thing to dream and another for that dream to become reality. To be able to work with a publisher with a reputation like Transworld and an editor that combines boundless enthusiasm, passion and insightfulness like Thorne? It’s less a powerhouse, more a power grid, within the wider supergrid of Penguin Random House. It’s a huge privilege to be working them on the next stage of this journey and I’m incredibly excited about bringing Artificial Wisdom and its sequel to fresh audiences.”

Fugate said: “Artificial Wisdom had me hooked instantly. I love near-future thrillers in the vein of Andy Weir and Blake Crouch, and with the quality of the writing, the fascinating characters, and the compelling, just-around-the-corner concepts that it explores, I almost felt like Thomas had written the book just for me. I’ve helped many authors make the leap from self-publishing to working with major publishers, and when I saw the incredible work that Thomas had already done – building a passionate fanbase on TikTok, creating an incredible audio edition narrated by one of my absolute favourite narrators, and producing a beautiful hardcover edition – I knew he had the potential to be a breakout star.”