The Bookseller – Rights – August Books snaps up podcaster Katie Charlwood’s book about “fallen women”

August Books has acquired “Horrible History for adults” by podcaster and historian Katie Charlwood.

Managing publisher Martina O’Sullivan acquired the worldwide rights directly from the author. The book, provisionally titled Whores, sluts and prostitutes: The incredible lives of history’s evil womenis scheduled to be released in spring 2026.

Charlwood’s non-fiction debut is an exploration of history’s “fallen women,” including Cleopatra, Anne Boleyn, Ching Shih, Gráinne O’Malley, Mary Todd Lincoln, Margot Asquith and Coco Chanel. The book examines how “pejorative labels” were used to control women.

Charlwood is the host of the podcast Who Did What Now?, which explores alternative parts of history. She commented: “We have been conditioned to look at history through the lens of pale and stale men, which is not only narrow-minded but, frankly, really boring! When you look at these women without that antiquated perspective, you see them for who they are, not how they are portrayed.”

O’Sullivan added: “Katie is exactly the kind of author I like to work with on a subject that is very close to my heart. She knows her stuff and, more importantly, she can convey that expertise in an entertaining, informative and witty way, which is a skill that is far too rare. This book is emblematic of the history list I am putting together at August Books and I can’t wait to share it with the world.”