Margaret Stead has acquired UK & Commonwealth rights to While You Were Sleeping by Consultant Anaesthetist Hannah Scott, from Claire Conrad at Janklow & Nesbitt. Firefinch will publish in spring 2027.

While You Were Sleeping follows Hannah Scott’s journey into anaesthetics, from junior doctor to the top of her profession. Scott takes us into the operating theatre to give us a witty, behind-the-scrubs account of everything that happens while you’re unconscious under anaesthetic: the jokes, the crises, their consequences, the surgeons and their egos, and the drugs and equipment that keep us safe and pain-free.

Anaesthetists are the medics who keep us alive, in a near-death state, when we’re under the knife, desperately ill in ICU, or giving birth. They are the great generalists, working on every kind of operation. They send us to the world beyond consciousness and bring us safely back again.

Beyond the operating theatre, balancing the demands of the role with motherhood and personal life took its toll. Hannah examines the expectations on women working in medicine, the pressure on the NHS, and the choices she had to make for her career and for her family. While You Were Sleeping is a fascinating, informative and at times shocking account of a life lived on the edge of death.

Margaret Stead said: ‘While You Were Sleeping is a rare gem: a brilliantly told, behind-the-scenes look at the art of anaesthetics. Filled with a wealth of astonishing material, it is hilarious and heart-breaking. Hannah makes us see once again just how lucky we are to have the NHS, and how we must fight to ensure we never lose it.’

Hannah Scott said: ‘Writing While You Were Sleeping – revealing what happens on the other side of unconsciousness through the true stories of patients I have cared for: the funny, the moving, the frightening and, sometimes, the heartbreaking –  has been a joy. I am absolutely thrilled that While You Were Sleeping has found its home with Firefinch. I couldn’t be happier that they will take these stories, and the extraordinary people within them, out into the world for readers to enjoy. I feel incredibly lucky to have the chance to share my hidden world.

While you were Sleeping by Hannah Scott will be published by Firefinch Publishing in March 2027