Tim Whiting, managing director of Bonnier Books UK’s Black & White Publishing Group, and Publishing Director Susanna Abbott have acquired world all rights for Wild Hope, a powerful new collection of inspiration and poetry by beloved wordsmith Donna Ashworth, the UK’s biggest-selling poet and the author of the Sunday Times bestseller I Wish I Knew.
Wild Hope will help readers find hope, comfort and self-acceptance when they feel helpless, worn down or sad. The collection focuses on finding hope and positivity in challenging times, and reminds us, no matter how dark the present, that hope is always there. Davina McCall has described it as ‘beautiful and uplifting.’
Ashworth’s first big viral hit came during the pandemic in 2020 with a poem called History Will Remember When the World Stopped which was shared around the world and performed by Michael Sheen, Griff Rhys Jones and Vicky McClure. Over six million likes later, with seven books and 1.2 million Facebook followers, she is the UK’s no.1 bestselling selling poetry author (Nielsen 2022 and 2023 YTD poetry sales). In January 2023, nine months after publication, I Wish I Knew re-entered the Sunday Times chart at number nine.
Donna Ashworth said: “With Wild Hope I wanted to offer everyone a little respite from the hard things life throws at us, the relentlessness of these times we live in and the idea too many of us have that we aren’t good enough. I believe the right words hold so much power and can bring huge comfort. I can’t wait to send out my new collection to the world with my team at Black & White.”
Susanna Abbott said: “Donna has a unique ability to help people feel seen, comforted and understood through the remarkable power of her words. In Wild Hope she reminds us that most people in this world are good, and that acts of kindness and love, however small, all contribute to a better world. Donna is a much-needed voice of calm and positivity in these worrying and challenging times. We are simply thrilled to be publishing her.”
Donna lives in the hills of Scotland with her husband, her two sons, Brian & Dave (the dogs) and a bearded dragon named Benny. Donna started her social media accounts in 2018 in a bid to create a safe social space for women to come together and connect, but her love of all things wordy quickly became the focus, and a past love for poetry was reignited. Donna’s words bring comfort, tears and joy around the world. Her facebook page, Donna Ashworth Words, has a very loyal following of women who support and inspire one another. Donna’s books are often at the top of the best-selling and most-gifted lists on amazon worldwide.
Wild Hope will publish on 26th September.
