Hot trend in fiction: novels based on real people

We’re now less than six months away from the launch of A Bitter Equation, scheduled for the end of March 2027. One of the biggest events in global publishing took place last week, the Frankfurt Book Fair, bringing together industry professionals to exchange news, make deals and forecast trends. According to novelist Karin Gillespie, who attended this year’s event, hot trends in fiction include novels based on the lives of real people. This is good news for my novel based on the real life of Dora Metcalf!

My publisher, the Book Guild, has been in touch to finalise the blurb that they will soon be sending out to the trade, alerting booksellers to the company’s forthcoming titles. Marketing to the public won’t be happening until the new year, once the Christmas period is over and everyone has sobered up! This is what they are saying to the trade:

Title: A Bitter Equation

Tagline: Tragedy sparks a visionary idea… (Based on a true story.)

Blurb

When Irish mathematician Dora loses her fiancé during the First World War, she makes herself a promise: to live a life extraordinary enough to honour his sacrifice.

In a time when women are expected to know their place, Dora sees the world changing potential of machine calculation to transform the way that industry and governments work. Determined to make her vision a reality, she challenges a male-dominated world and builds a pioneering business empire across Britain and Ireland.

But ambition comes at a price, and everything she has fought so hard to achieve is threatened during the Second World War. Will her work on a top-secret contract with Bletchley Park’s codebreakers destroy her reputation and put her back in her place?

Based on a true story, A Bitter Equation is a tale of one woman’s determination to change the world.

I’m starting to get excited about the launch, but there are still several processes to go through. Edits and typesetting are all done but I have to wait a bit longer to see the cover design. Please sign up to the blog for news of the publishing journey.