a terrible corner where they don’t publish enough titles to cut through. You can’t have 12 great health books a year. “There’s so much less shame in asking
for help or being informed, whether it’s a neurodivergence diagnosis, relationship issues, parenting – or something more disturbing, like the material of the book by Caroline [Darian], which is about rape or trauma.” Indeed, Leap’s first book is about one of the
biggest criminal trials unfolding across the global media currently. I’ll Never Call Him Dad Again is written by Darian, the daughter of Dominique Pélicot, who recently stood trial accused of drugging his wife and recruiting dozens of strangers to rape her over a decade. Verdicts and sentences are yet to be passed at the time of writing.
Carole Tonkinson is to launch a new list, Leap, early next year
Marie Kondo’s Letter from Japan is a homage to her native country
“Self- help but not being selfish is key. Some of the wellbeing space – I’ve always resisted the word ‘wellness’ but it’s been co-opted by a lot of those tech bros – is about extending very privileged lives and not always [promoting] the most science-informed views.” Tonkinson hopes the list – set to publish
around 24 books a year – will spark important conversations. “I’m really excited about it because it’s about a leap of faith: it’s about the books, the information, the stories and informa- tion to empower people to take the next step, but it might be a bit scary. It’s about changing themselves and the world.” The Leap team also includes senior commis- sioning editor Madiya Altaf, previously at Lagom, assistant editor Lucy Tirahan and editorial assistant Saira Nabi (who both also work on Blink). Tonkinson emphasises the collective nature of the focus, a reference to her founding ethos that we can all leap better, if we do it together. “This is about lifting yourself and others up; hope, change and [taking the] next steps for ourselves as individuals and a wider community.”
T
he conversation with Tonkinson returns several times to this book, such is its resonance, and the way in which it drives Leap’s agenda. “Caroline has taken horrific family
tragedy and changed the conversation on shame,” Tonkinson says. “She took the stand, she started a charity on stopping chemical submission. She’s done so much. That’s a perfect example – an inspiring read about Caroline’s and her mother’s reaction to such a terrible thing – of finding a way to channel energies into helping others.” Another book is Make Life Happier by
Mark Williamson, who is the founder of the movement Action for Happiness. “The first half is about individual happiness; the second half is about community happiness,” Tonkinson says. “They’re not separate – they’re inexpli- cable and that’s the energy of the list.” Another is We Are Each Other by Jess Mills,
the daughter of the late MP Tessa Jowell. “It’s one of the most beautiful books I’ve read in my life and it’s about love, really,” Tonkinson says. “She wrote it over five years about her mother getting her terminal diagnosis when [Mills’ own] daughter was 10 weeks’ old. It’s about the crux of life and death, mother-daughter love, and generational love.” Letter from Japan by Marie Kondo, mean-
The wellbeing space is crowded and a little out of step with what more informed readers want now, which isn’t a one-size- fits-all approach
Too many imprints in this space restrict
while, offers “a wonderful departure for her, the culture and philosophy which she loves... and which she has such authentic grounding in,” Tonkinson says. “Japan is of great interest now. We’re seeing lots of books [about the country] by people who aren’t even Japanese.” Overall, Tonkinson is excited to see how Leap
themselves with too narrow a focus, Tonkinson believes. “There are books [here] that drive social and personal change. It’s more hard- hitting, inclusive, and covers more genres. A lot of those wellbeing lists box themselves into REPORTING Heloise Wood
lands with its broad focus, recognition of both the individual and societal, its engagement with challenging stories and widening of the traditional readership. “It doesn’t have to be a female relationship,” Tonkinson says of this space. “Men might call self-help ‘self-optimi- sation’. We all need some hope and this list has that. They are all empowering books.”
2 1
Hannah Marsh ( 1) Thread: A Caesarean Story of Myth, Magic and Medicine Leap, March 2025, 9781786584489 Can Caesarean birth also be magical? Journalist Marsh considers this through weaving together her own experience, stories of others, and the historical context of the procedure. She gave birth via Caesarean in 2017 and subsequently was diagnosed with PTSD. In discovering more about the procedure and its history, the concept became “both a fascination and a key part of her healing”.
Glynnis MacNicol ( 2) I’m Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself Leap, July 2025, 9781785123627 After New York City emptied out in March 2020, MacNicol, 46, unmarried with no children, spent 16 punishing months alone in her tiny Manhattan apartment. So when the opportunity to sublet a friend’s apartment in Paris arose, she jumped at it. This book, which channels the likes of Deborah Levy and Nora Ephron, promises a “decadent, joyful, unexpected journey into one woman’s pursuit of radical enjoyment”.
Catherine Sandler Why Good People Behave Badly at Work Leap, August 2025, 9781785122903 Sandler explains her Emotional Profiles Triangle, developed over 27 years’ work as an executive coach. The concept explores “what
happens when individuals and groups at work are triggered - often in the blink of an eye - into shifting from their most effective to their most dysfunctional selves”.
Upcoming titles
43
JAMIE MAGNIFICO
Features Company Spotlight
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56
