Oneworld lands Nwabineli’s 'laugh out loud' debut for new Magpie imprint in three-way auction

Oneworld has landed Someday, Maybe by British-Nigerian author Onyi Nwabineli after winning a three-way auction for the debut novel.

Publisher Juliet Mabey acquired UK and Commonwealth print, e-book and audio rights, excluding Canada, from Jennifer Choi at Harlequin, on behalf of Amy St Johnston at Aitken Alexander. It will publish in October 2022 as a superlead title under Oneworld’s new book-club imprint Magpie, with Harlequin to publish in North America in November.

"I was instantly taken by Onyi’s blend of sensitivity and laugh-out-loud humour, and am thrilled to be bringing Eve’s story to readers," Mabey said. "I know Someday, Maybe will spark important conversations about bereavement, family and mental health, and am delighted to be working with Onyi, a writer who I know has a bright future ahead."

"Written with phenomenal assurance and poise, Someday, Maybe follows Eve, a young British-Igbo woman whose world changes forever when her husband kills himself," the synopsis reads. "Eve is left reeling in the wake of his death: Quentin was the love of her life and they were happy. Weren’t they? Buckling under social pressure to ‘move on’, bombarded on all sides by well-meaning but tone-deaf advice, Eve takes refuge in memories of her relationship with Quentin. So begins a one-of-a-kind love story: wry, daringly honest, and propelled by the voice of an unforgettable protagonist."

Likened by Mabey to Oyinkan Braithwaite’s My Sister, the Serial Killer (Atlantic) and Candice Carty-Williams’ Queenie (Orion), Someday, Maybe has received praise from authors including Bolu Babalola, Brenda Jackson and Jendella Benson. Adjoa Andoh, known for her role as Lady Danbury in the Bridgerton series, will narrate the audiobook.

Nwabineli’s debut is the second to publish on the Magpie imprint, Oneworld’s home of commercial fiction and book-club titles.

"Our Magpie imprint will publish books you can’t wait to press into the hands of your friends," Mabey said. "We’re looking for fiction that is warm, thoughtful and diverse, but above all unputdownable, and Onyi’s novel is all of these things and more."

Nwabineli was born in Nigeria and has lived in Glasgow, the Isle of Man and Newcastle. An English and creative writing graduate, she is now based in London, where she works in technology management. She is the co-founder of Surviving Out Loud, a charity that provides support to survivors of sexual assault, and the founder of Black Pens, a writing retreat for Black women.

"Eve was crafted with such love and care that somewhere along the way, I became overprotective of her," she said. "Juliet and the team at Oneworld, along with my agent, Amy, so embraced and understood her, I knew there was no better home for Eve and her family than with them. I can’t thank them all enough for their guidance and support."

St Johnston added: "Eve’s voice grabbed me on the very first page and never let go. Onyi writes about grief in an unforgettable way and I know readers will fall in love with Eve and her family as much as I have."