Vicky Spratt's second book goes to Fourth Estate

Michelle Kane, PR & publishing director at Fourth Estate, has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, for Vicky Spratt’s second book from Emma Paterson at Aitken Alexander. We Were Promised The Moon is scheduled for publication in 2025.

Combining her own experience and the stories of women she’s met over the last 10 years while travelling around Britain as a journalist, Spratt’s new book will be a deep exploration of how the economic context of the last 30 years has shaped the lives of Millennials and Generation Z—their finances, relationships and perception of what a good life looks like. 

Vicky Spratt is a journalist, author, and housing rights advocate. Her book Tenants was published by Profile in 2022 and chosen as a Financial Times Book of the Year. She is a columnist and housing correspondent at the i Paper where her work has seen her nominated for a British Journalism Award and shortlisted for the Orwell Prize two years in a row. She also has a comedy-drama TV series in development.

Spratt said: "They say you should write about what you know. Well, I know this much. . . for millions of young adults life is not what they expected. Many friends and people I meet travelling around the country have internalised guilt and shame because they can’t afford a home or childcare. They’re also struggling to keep up with the lifestyles of Instagram influencers while relentlessly checking their bank balance and wondering if it’s glitching. It’s not their fault. There are economic and social reasons for the situation we are in and it doesn’t have to be this way."

Kane added: "I’ve long been an admirer of Vicky’s work so when the opportunity to work with her on this brilliant project came along I jumped at the chance. She’s one of our most brilliant young thinkers and campaigning journalists—whether she’s driving legislation changes for renters in England or exposing mental health implications of the contraception pill she’s always motivated to make positive changes to society. Her focus with this new book is on exposing the myriad problems facing young adults today and how as a society we managed to let these generations down but as ever with Vicky’s work, she’s telling us it’s not hopeless and offering credible solutions for a better future—let’s hope the government is listening to her!"