Announcements

Biteback Publishing has acquired A Son Never Forgets, a powerful memoir by campaigner Jason Evans, charting his decades-long fight for justice for the victims of the infected blood scandal.

When Jason Evans was just four years old, his father, Jonathan, died after being infected with HIV and Hepatitis C through contaminated Factor VIII blood products supplied by the NHS. For years, the truth surrounding Jonathan's death was buried beneath silence, stigma and institutional denial. Determined to uncover what had happened, Evans embarked on a relentless search for answers that would take him from personal loss to the forefront of a national campaign. His efforts helped secure the establishment of the UK Infected Blood Inquiry and ultimately contributed to the creation of the UK's largest-ever state compensation scheme, worth more than £12 billion.

Blending investigative reporting with deeply personal memoir, A Son Never Forgets explores grief, memory, inherited trauma and identity, while revealing the extraordinary resilience required to challenge decades of official secrecy. In a twist of fate, just as Jason thought the battle was won, a surprise discovery reframed his family history in ways he never expected. This is an unforgettable story of one man's determination to uncover the truth, fight for justice on behalf of thousands of affected families and ensure that one of Britain's greatest public scandals is never forgotten.

Richard Humphreys, Biteback’s commercial director said, “Jason's book is a powerful and deeply moving account inspired by the devastating impact of the infected blood scandal. He shines a light on one of the UK’s most significant public health tragedies through a very personal story of loss, resilience and the pursuit of justice. The book highlights the importance of transparency, accountability and will – hopefully – ensure that such a tragedy is never repeated.”

Jason Evans said, “I was four years old when my father died, so I grew up with a mystery where he should have been. My fight for the truth took me into archives, courtrooms, Parliament, Downing Street and to evidence I could never have imagined. For years, I thought the story was about uncovering what had been done to my father and to thousands of other families. But just when it seemed that battle was reaching its end, the biggest revelation was not hidden in a government file: it had been living inside me all along. I hope A Son Never Forgets shows how the infected blood scandal was finally exposed, through evidence, archives, media pressure and the determination of a small group of people who refused to let the truth stay buried.”

Jason Evans is former lead campaigner at and founder of Factor 8, the UK campaign group established to seek truth, justice and compensation for those infected and affected by the infected blood scandal. His father, Jonathan Evans, had haemophilia and was infected with HIV and Hepatitis C through contaminated Factor VIII blood products supplied by the NHS. He died in 1993, aged thirty-one, when Jason was four years old.

As an adult, Jason helped to expose the scale of the scandal and the institutional failures behind it. His campaigning has been featured widely across national and international media. Jason was awarded Campaigner of the Year by the Sheila McKechnie Foundation in 2023 and received a Pride of Britain Special Recognition Award in 2024. His work was also featured in the ITV documentary In Cold Blood. Since January 2025, Jason has worked at the Infected Blood Compensation Authority, helping to deliver the compensation scheme he spent years campaigning for.

A Son Never Forgets will be published on 26 November 2026, supported by a major marketing and publicity campaign.

Price: £20 hardback

ISBN: 9781785909221

For more information, please contact Kate Cunnington on kate.cunnington@bitebackpublishing.com

Biteback Publishing is to publish Challenge!, the autobiography of television presenter Anneka Rice, marking 50 years since she joined the BBC.

Editorial and production manager Catriona Allon acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Caroline Michel at PFD. The memoir will be published in October 2026, supported by a major marketing and publicity campaign.

Best known for fronting Challenge Anneka, Rice reflects on the career that made her one of British television’s most recognisable presenters while revealing, for the first time, the childhood experiences that shaped her resilience.

The memoir explores her upbringing, the responsibility of caring for her younger sister as a teenager, and the journey that took her to Hong Kong at 19, where time spent volunteering in a refugee camp transformed her outlook on life.

Rice said: “As I celebrate 50 years since I joined the BBC as a young trainee, it is timely to work out how on earth I’ve survived this long without falling out of a helicopter. My childhood was definitely before health and safety was invented, as was most of my career, so it’s a miracle I’m still in one piece – ish. I look forward to sharing my life with you. Wear a seat belt and don’t try any of it at home unless you have reinforcements.”

Allon said: “Anneka is nothing short of a TV legend, and what better time to look back on her incredible life and career than this exciting milestone? Filled with warmth, wit and a touch of wackiness, this wonderful memoir is trademark Anneka and her compelling and authentic voice shines through on every page. We’re so excited to get it into readers’ hands – we know everyone will love it just as much as we do.”

Biteback Publishing has acquired a unique insider’s guide to the 2016 Brexit referendum, written by the key strategist behind the Vote Leave campaign, Matthew Elliott. Ten Years On: The Untold Story of Brexit – Reflections on a life of campaigning takes the reader behind the scenes of the most significant episode in modern British politics, revealing what really went on during the campaign and its bitter aftermath.

The 2016 Brexit referendum caused a political earthquake, with aftershocks still being felt a decade later. For many, including some who voted to leave, the result came as a shock. But for Matthew Elliott, it was the culmination of two decades of work.

Elliott is one of Britain’s most successful political campaigners – a reserved and strategic operator. In his twenties, he launched a movement to challenge wasteful public spending and advocate for lower taxes. He then played a central role in defeating an attempt to change the UK’s voting system in 2011, before steering the Vote Leave campaign to victory in 2016 as its chief executive.

In this extraordinary political memoir, Elliott lifts the lid on life at the heart of power. He reveals what it was like working alongside Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings, their dealings with Nigel Farage and the tricks of the trade that campaigners use to shape the news.

Here, a decade after the EU referendum, is a definitive, tell-all account of Brexit: from its roots in the 1990s to the high-stakes drama of the campaign itself, the fallout that followed and the crucial decisions that will shape Britain’s future relationship with Europe.

Matthew Elliott said: ‘Ten years on from the referendum, with the fog of the Brexit battle having cleared, and with six years’ experience of living outside the EU, I felt it was now time to share my Brexit journey and to make an early assessment of its success. I’m delighted that Biteback are publishing my second book with them, and I hope that readers of all political persuasions will enjoy my candid perspective of where the UK now stands with the EU and – crucially – how we got here.’

Richard Humphreys, commercial director at Biteback Publishing, said: ‘Love it or loathe it, the Brexit referendum was the single most important political event since the Second World War. Widely regarded as one of the most effective political strategists around, Lord Elliott’s account of his time as one of the key players in the Brexit campaign team is a must-read for anyone interested in politics, history and the tricks of the trade that campaigners use to shape the news.’

Ten Years On: The Untold Story of Brexit will be published on 23 June 2026, supported by a major serialisation campaign.

Biteback Publishing has acquired Julian Lloyd Webber’s 'explosive, no-holds-barred autobiography, lifting the lid on the life of a globally renowned classical musician' which 'reveals a cut-throat world of agents, promoters, record companies, violin dealers and substance abuse'.

Olivia Beattie, Editorial Director at Biteback, acquired world rights directly from the author. Beattie said: "Having worked with Julian on his insightful book on the great Pablo Casals, everyone at Biteback was thrilled when he came back to us with this utterly candid memoir. Its flow, its lyricism, its humour and its honesty make it an incredible page-turner."

From vivid descriptions of Julian’s childhood in one of the world’s most famous musical dynasties to unfiltered stories from his collaborations with such stars as Elton John, Yehudi Menuhin, Stéphane Grappelli, Philip Glass, and his brother, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Bows and Arrows reveals a cut-throat world of agents, promoters, record companies, violin dealers and substance abuse, laying bare the classical music profession as never before.

With refreshing honesty and humour, Julian recounts the break-up of three of his four marriages, his lifelong passion for ensuring that every child should have a chance to play a musical instrument and his devastation at the 2014 injury that forced him to stop playing and sell his Stradivarius cello. 

This earth-shattering loss, however, led to a new calling, prompting Julian’s appointment as principal of a leading royal conservatoire and his re-emergence as a tireless champion of music education, working closely with politicians including Gordon Brown, Michael Gove and Boris Johnson. Culminating in Julian’s return to the stage for the first time in twelve years, this is a powerful story of passion, loss and a life reborn.

Julian Lloyd Webber is one of the leading musicians of our time. As a solo cellist, he played with the world’s greatest orchestras and recorded with legends including Yehudi Menuhin and Elton John. He won the Classical Brit Award in 1978 and his album Variations won a gold disc within five weeks of its release.

In 2008, he founded the UK government’s In Harmony programme, facilitating access to music for children from less privileged backgrounds. Julian was the only classical musician chosen to play at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. In 2015, following his forced retirement due to injury, he was appointed principal of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, a role he held for five years.

In April 2026, Julian will return to the stage for a celebratory gala at London’s Wigmore Hall to mark his 75th birthday. 2026 will also see the release of Jasmine – Julian’s first recording for twelve years, inspired by his fourteen-year-old daughter – together with a 75th birthday collection, both on Decca Records.

Lloyd Webber said: "I am delighted to continue my relationship with Biteback at this exciting moment in my life!"

Bows and Arrows will be published on 7 April 2026 as a £22 hardback, supported by a major publicity campaign.

Biteback Publishing has signed Have I Said Too Much?, an autobiography by Iain Dale, which offers 'a rare, honest look at failure, imposter syndrome and the art of broadcasting'.

Olivia Beattie, editorial director at Biteback, acquired world English rights from Gordon Wise at Curtis Brown, and it will be out on 15 July.

In the book, Dale recounts his journey from driving a combine harvester at age eight to driving the national
conversation on LBC. He also reflects on coming out at age forty, coming to terms with his thwarted political
aspirations, and the phone-ins that have made him ‘the friend they’ve never met’ to millions. The book is 'the ultimate insider’s guide to the corridors of power and the pressures of the studio. Whether he’s nearly throwing up on Margaret Thatcher, coming to blows with senior MPs or accidentally calling the Archbishop of Canterbury something less than pious on live radio, this is Iain Dale off-air and unfiltered'.

Iain Dale presents the evening show on LBC Radio and is a regular contributor to Good Morning Britain, Question
Time and Newsnight. His podcasts include Where Politics Meets History and the award-winning For the Many. He is a regular columnist for the Telegraph, the Evening Standard and the i paper, and has written or edited more than fifty books. He is a visiting professor of politics and broadcasting at the University of East Anglia.

Dale said: "You only get one chance of writing an autobiography, and I’m delighted that my old firm Biteback have
taken it on. It is very much warts and all and includes all the various scrapes I’ve been involved in, as well as telling what it’s really like to be a radio presenter. The whole book is anecdote-tastic and is designed to entertain. I don’t flinch about possibly going into too much detail about certain aspects of my life, hence the title of the book. I can’t wait for it to appear in July and to promote the hell out of it throughout the summer and autumn."

Beattie said: "Everyone at Biteback has missed Iain enormously since he stepped down as MD in 2018, so it feelslike a wonderful homecoming to be welcoming him back with this very personal memoir. This is trademark Iain, with all the right ingredients – his candour and raw emotion and sense of humour – and we’re really looking forward to sharing it with a wider audience."