NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LỌLÁ ÁKÍNMÁDÉ’S ‘COMPELLING AND PROPULSIVE’ THIRD NOVEL, BITTER HONEY, GOES TO HEAD OF ZEUS
Head of Zeus, part of Bloomsbury Publishing, are delighted to be publishing Lọlá Ákínmádé’s first standalone novel, Bitter Honey, on the Apollo Fiction list in May 2025. Lọlá’s first novel, In Every Mirror She’s Black, was a Good Morning America Book Club Buzz Pick, and the follow-up, Everything is Not Enough, was an NAACP Finalist for Outstanding Fiction.
Former Publishing Director Madeleine O’Shea acquired UK and Commonwealth rights excluding Canada in Bitter Honey from Jessica Craig at Craig Literary. Kimberley Atkins, Publishing Director, and Commissioning Editor Sophie Whitehead will take over publication, with Tessa James at William Morrow publishing in the US.
Two women. Four decades. A lifetime of secrets.
1978: A scholarship draws Nancy from Gambia’s warmth into Sweden’s winter. When her friendship with charismatic scholar Lars blossoms into something more, she thinks she may have finally found her place. But there’s more to Lars than his charming persona, and Nancy is about to discover the danger of being drawn into his world…
2006: Tina has had her taste of fame as the nation’s favourite pop princess, but beneath the glittery façade, Tina is desperate to discover who she really is. Her mother, Nancy, seems desperate to keep the past under wraps. Will an unexpected figure help open the door?
Spanning four decades and three continents, Bitter Honey is a story of mothers, daughters, and the importance of carving your own path.
PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY (UK EDITION – MAY 15, 2025)
Lọlá Ákínmádé said, ‘To be publishing my third novel with Head of Zeus is nothing short of a dream. Beyond the trust I’ve built with my editors Kim and Sophie, as an author, being given the complete space to write the unfiltered, deeply human stories I truly want to write is a privilege I don’t take for granted. I am beyond thrilled to share Bitter Honey with the world. These characters lived in my mind every single day and I can’t wait till you all meet them too.’
Kimberley Atkins and Sophie Whitehead said, ‘It has been such a joy to work on Bitter Honey. Lọlá’s writing deftly combines humour, drama and real heart, and Bitter Honey – Lọlá’s most ambitious story yet – is no exception. We cannot wait for readers to meet Tina and Nancy, and we know that they will find so much to love in this compelling and propulsive story.’
Lọlá Ákínmádé is an international bestselling author, keynote speaker, and award-winning photographer. Her work has appeared in National Geographic, BBC, CNN, Guardian, Sunday Times Travel, Daily Telegraph, New York Times and Lonely Planet, amongst others. She has been recognized with multiple awards for her work, including named a 2022 Hasselblad Heroine and 2018 Travel Photographer of the Year Bill Muster Award. She was honoured with a MIPAD 100 (Most Influential People of African Descent) recognition within media and culture in 2018, and her work is in the National Geographic Image Collection.
For further information please contact publicity@headofzeus.com