Coronet to publish debut title by Yewande Biala

Joelle Owusu-Sekyere, Commissioning Editor at Coronet, an imprint of Hodder & Stoughton, has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to Reclaiming by Yewande Biala. Owusu-Sekyere acquired the rights from Silé Edwards at Mushens Entertainment in a significant overnight pre-empt ahead of an auction, and Coronet will publish Reclaiming in hardback, eBook and audio editions on 12th May 2022.  

In this book, Biala will be expanding on her recent Independent piece on racial renaming and outlining in a series of essays helpful and practical ways readers can navigate challenging and complex situations. Biala will also recount personal experiences, along with a wide representation of real-life stories from prominent figures and everyday readers. The book will cover a wide breadth of topics from the specific microaggressions Black women encounter on dating apps, to navigating a career when the odds are stacked against your success. Including positive affirmations and empowering messages throughout, Reclaiming will be a guide to maintaining your identity in a world that would rather see you change.

Joelle Owusu-Sekyere says: “I am absolutely delighted to working with Yewande to bring her vision to life. I’ve been blown away already with her writing and I am thrilled to be playing a small part in the next stage of her writing career. Her debut, Reclaiming is an important, enlightening, celebratory book about being who you are, not who you are expected to be and there has never been a better time for this message than now.”

Silé Edwards says: “I have long admired Yewande’s ability to put a voice and a name to universal experiences. Her viral essay on renaming opened up a conversation about the importance of owning and claiming your identity and I am absolutely thrilled to be working with her, Joelle and the team at Hodder on this book, which is sure to start many more important conversations.”

 Yewande Biala says: "I am so pleased to be working with Joelle and the team at Coronet. From the beginning they completely got my passion and vision for the book, I can’t wait to share Reclaiming with everyone. I hope that it inspires people to be brave and accept who they are, rather than who the world wants them to be."