SIMON & SCHUSTER ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF KATE REID'S MEMOIR
Photo Credit @ Rodrigo Jubram
Simon & Schuster Australia is thrilled to announce the October publication of Destination Moon, a truly inspiring memoir by Kate Reid, the former Formula One aerodynamicist and visionary entrepreneur who founded Lune Croissanterie. The ANZ rights were snapped up in a heated auction by Emma Nolan, nonfiction publisher at Simon & Schuster Australia, from Tara Wynne at Curtis Brown Agency.
Destination Moon is an uplifting true story about obsession, overcoming demons and pursuing dreams, from the woman whose mid-career one-eighty led her to create what the New York Times has speculated just might be the ‘best croissant in the world’.
From the tender age of thirteen, Kate Reid knew exactly what she wanted: a career in Formula 1 racing, a life lived at full throttle. Like a master cartographer, she had meticulously mapped out her entire future. All she had to do was follow the path she’d charted.
But after earning a degree in aerospace engineering and securing a position at a top Formula 1 team in the UK, Kate discovered that the reality of the job she had worked so hard to achieve didn’t match the dream. She had reached her destination, so why did she feel so lost? Deeply unhappy, Kate developed depression and anorexia, a destructive subconscious response to a loss of purpose and an uncertain future.
Returning home to Australia to fight the illness, Kate slowly rediscovered her love of food: from working in Melbourne’s world class café scene to booking a flight to Paris to pursue her latest obsession: the croissant.
Kate commented, ‘I have finally had the opportunity to reflect on my many varied experiences and my wonderful, chaotic, and often deeply challenging life. Writing the memoir called on me to dig up painful, traumatic memories that I had buried deep—until now. I was forced to come face to face, again, with a monster I battled for several years—a ruthless eating disorder that took over my mind and my body. And finally, I was presented with the gift of recounting the precious moments and experiences that brought me back to life.
‘I want everyone to read this book. If you have a fascination for Formula One: this book is for you. If you are a foodie, a baker, a traveller, a dreamer: this book is for you. If you, too, have suffered a serious mental illness that has threatened your life: this book is for you—I want you, in particular, to feel seen. If you just love a good old story of redemption, beating the odds, clawing your way back to a wonderful life: this book is for you.’
Emma Nolan added, ‘We are so honored to publish Destination Moon. Kate Reid’s story is a powerful reminder of the resilience of the human spirit. Her incredible book offers a poignant reflection on the journey of self-discovery, the heartache of losing direction, and the courage it takes to find your way back—her story is one that will stay with readers long after they turn the final page.’
Destination Moon will be released in October 2025.