W. F. Howes, RBmedia’s UK publishing brand, has acquired the audio rights for You Are Here, the forthcoming romantic novel from bestselling author David Nicholls.
 
Publishing on 23 April to coincide with the print launch, You Are Here will mark the sixth collaboration between Nicholls and W. F. Howes—the audio publisher for all of his work to date, including runaway global bestseller One Day.
 
Lydia Leonard—who starred in the stage adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Bring Up the Bodies and hit TV series Ten Percent and The Crown—will team up with Lee Ingleby—renowned for on-screen roles in The A Word, Inspector George Gently, and Criminal: UK—to voice the audiobook and play its two lead characters, Marnie and Michael.
 
Described as “a love story of first encounters, second chances, and finding the way home,” You Are Here follows the stories of two lost souls who are thrown together on an epic coast-to-coast walk. But can their blossoming friendship survive the journey?
 
David Nicholls said: “You Are Here is a love story in a classic style, a chamber piece that happens to take place on an epic journey from the west to east coast through the Lakes, the Dales, and the Moors. It is, I hope, funny and touching, shifting between moods like the burgeoning friendship between Marnie and Michael. I’ve always loved writing dialogue and this book is all about conversation. I can’t wait to see it come to life in audio, a format where I think it will find a natural home. Working with the W. F. Howes team all these years we have developed a brilliant rapport and mutual understanding—and I am particularly delighted with our casting of Lydia and Lee, who will perfectly embody Michael and Marnie and lift them from the page.”
 
The UK and Commonwealth audio rights were acquired from Johnny Geller at Curtis Brown by Habiba Sacranie, Senior Acquisitions Editor at W. F. Howes. Sacranie said: “David is a national treasure and one of the biggest success stories in modern day publishing, so it is an absolute pleasure to be his audiobook publisher of choice and to play such an integral role in his inspirational story. Written in David’s trademark style, with plenty of wit, empathy, and emotion—which lends itself perfectly to the audio format—You Are Here is an absolute triumph and is already the most talked about novel coming out this spring.”
 
In addition to You Are Here, W. F. Howes will be working closely with David Nicholls to launch a special 2024 audio edition of One Day to coincide with the recent premiere of the Netflix series.