The Bookseller – Rights – Hutchinson Heinemann wins Jessica Stanley’s “unforgettable” literary love story

Hutchinson Heinemann has snapped up Jessica Stanley’s “unforgettable” literary love story, Consider yourself kissed.

Publisher Helen Conford and senior editor Amy Batley have acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Lizzy Kremer of David Higham Associates.

The novel will be one of Hutchinson Heinemann’s major publications and will be released in hardback on May 8, 2025. In addition, US rights have been acquired by Sarah McGrath at Riverhead, Penguin Random House, for a June 2025 release and by Amy Black at Doubleday Canada at auction. Australian rights were sold at auction to Penny Hueston at Text. Consider yourself kissed is published in Germany by DuMont, other translation areas are available.

“Jessica Stanley’s Consider yourself kissed is a novel for adults about love – about falling in love and what happens afterwards,” says the synopsis.Consider yourself kissed explores timeless themes such as relationships, family, politics and motherhood with unique humor, intelligence and warmth, and asks deep and witty questions about the true meaning of ‘Ever After’.

Conford said: “Consider yourself kissed is about the decade we have all just lived through, told through the life of Coralie, who grows from her early thirties to her early forties over the course of the novel. It captured my heart, as it has the heart of everyone else who has read it. Jessica Stanley describes life as we live it, and whether you are looking for love, falling in love, raising children, or dealing with your own or your partner’s parents, you will find your experiences reflected here in clear and funny prose full of heart and wisdom.”

Stanley added: “Many of my favorite books are deadly serious family dramas (with jokes) or formal romantic comedies (with tears). That’s what I wanted to create with Consider yourself kissed. It is set in Hackney, the vibrant and beautiful area of ​​London that has been my home for 13 years.”