Blink, an imprint of Bonnier Books UK, has acquired Why Are You Here, Mrs Hamilton? The Post Office, Horizon and My Fight for Justice by Jo Hamilton.
Ciara Lloyd, Publishing Director, acquired World English language rights from Kerr MacRae at Kerr MacRae LPA. The book will publish in June 2025, and will include a foreword written by Sir Alan Bates.
Jo Hamilton was one of more than 700 sub-postmasters prosecuted between 2000 and 2014 based on information from the Post Office’s faulty Horizon accounting system. She was told to put right a wrong she hadn’t committed and pushed to the very brink of her existence – remortgaging her house, borrowing from anyone she could in order to repay money that she hadn’t taken, and questioning her own sanity.
Immortalised in the ITV smash hit drama, Mr Bates vs The Post Office, this is Jo Hamilton’s extraordinary first-hand account of how she built a Post Office that was at the very heart of her community and lost it all through no fault of her own. For the first time, beyond the headlines and the corridors of the High Court and the UK’s political institutions, we will finally hear Jo’s full story and the human side of this scandal as well as the untold struggle she faced during the biggest miscarriage of justice in modern history. Ultimately, this is a story of hope, the strength of community and the ability of a few to fight back against the odds.
Jo Hamilton said: ‘This is a chance to tell my own story. One that is full of highs, lows and some truly magical moments. I hope the legacy it leaves is one of hope and it will encourage people to never ever give up.’
Ciara Lloyd said: ‘Like the rest of the country, I’ve followed the story of the Post Office scandal with shock and horror. Jo remained at the forefront of my mind – I’m in awe of her and the other victims’ strength and fortitude; at how they’ve not only stayed strong but managed to fight and overcome against a huge miscarriage of justice. When I met Jo, I knew instantly that Bonnier was the right home for her to finally speak her truth and shine a light on the ongoing injustices. Her story of defiance will be told for years to come, and I am incredibly proud to be her publisher.’
Kerr MacRae said: ‘Jo’s story is very important. The idea that a hard-working woman simply looking to enjoy life, supply a happy band of villagers with a cheery service and keep the wolf from her door can end up in court, being accused of a serious crime and facing prison, is the stuff of nightmares for us all. That fear and shock of seeing the state and its apparatus in action against innocent people should cut through us all. Jo’s story is a warning as well as a spotlight, and in the end is in many ways just the beginning. Jo has become a beacon for us all, the people in our communities who know what natural justice is and have clamoured hard to see it done.’
Why Are You Here, Mrs Hamilton? will be published in hardback, eBook and audiobook in June 2025.
