September Publishing is delighted to announce a major new book for 2026 from psychologist, mythologist and bestselling author Sharon Blackie. Ripening: Why Women Need Fairy Tales Now, is a ground-breaking work on the power and relevance of fairy tales, and their heroines.
World English Language rights (including audio) to this, Sharon Blackie’s seventh book, were acquired by Hannah MacDonald for the September imprint at Duckworth Books from Jane Graham Maw at the Graham Maw Christie Literary Agency. Ripening will be published in May 2026.
Blackie is author of six previous books, including word-of-mouth bestseller If Women Rose Rooted and the acclaimed Hagitude. Approximately 150,000 copies of the English Language edition of If Women Rose Rooted have been sold in print, e or audio books since its initial publication nine years ago. Translation rights to Sharon’s books have been sold in Portuguese, French, Dutch, Chinese, Latvian, Russian and Spanish.
Hannah MacDonald:
‘With her four previous non-fiction titles Sharon Blackie has inspired hundreds of thousands women with the wisdom and solace of our native landscapes, folklore and myth. But when I read the first draft of Ripening: Why Women Fairy Tales Now I felt more exhilarated than ever before at the prospect of taking Sharon’s book to new readers and new generations. Her message, that the original fairy tales with their darkness, symbolism and humour guide women through difficult life-journeys in perilous times, meets this moment in our political history perfectly. Fairy tale heroines are not perfect – or pink – or purely pretty. They are resourceful, brave and savvy and engaged with the challenges and possibilities for transformation ahead. Women will be reading and passing to friends and gifting to goddaughters for decades to come.’
Sharon Blackie:
‘Fairy tales are powerful because at the heart of every one of them is transformation. These old stories of the folk that have been handed down to us through so many generations show women what it might look like not just to survive, but to thrive – by moving forward through a challenging world with values shaped by relationship, respect and reciprocity. We need such guiding stories now more than ever. I’m always excited to work with Hannah, and I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved together with my books over the past decade. I’m looking forward to this next chapter, and to working alongside the fantastic Duckworth team too.’
