Affirm acquires memoir ‘Sophie’s Boys’

Affirm Press has acquired world rights to Sophie’s Boys, a memoir by Sophie Smith, who lost her triplets after going into labour prematurely, as told to journalist Deborah Fitzgerald.

Sophie’s Boys recounts Smith’s experience in 2006 when she lost Henry, Jasper and Evan, and how she and her husband Ash were inspired by their loss to set up Running for Premature Babies, a half-marathon running group and charity foundation that raises funds for hospital equipment and medical research into premature births.

Affirm Press publishing director and CEO Martin Hughes said the book shows ‘the opportunity of human compassion’. ‘While battling with unimaginable pain and loss, Sophie and Ash found the energy to help create futures for our most vulnerable children,’ said Hughes. ‘And for Sophie to keep the momentum going after becoming a single mum through the most tragic of circumstances is simply extraordinary.’

Smith, who lost her husband Ash in February 2016 to brain cancer, will be donating royalties from the book to the Running for Premature Babies Foundation. Affirm will also donate a portion of the profits from the book to the charity, and has pledged to send a team of staff members to Sydney to run in the half marathon in 2018.

‘We’re really proud to be associated with this book—so much so I can almost forgive the team for signing me up to the half marathon while I was on holiday,’ said Hughes.

Sophie’s Boys is scheduled for publication in April 2018.

Category: Local news Rights and acquisitions