Canongate to Publish THE CONFIDENCE GAME by Maria Konnikova

Canongate is to publish a new psychological investigation into the con by New York Times bestselling psychologist Maria Konnikova. UK and Commonwealth rights were acquired in The Confidence Game: The Psychology of the Con and Why We Fall For It Every Time by Senior Editor Jenny Lord from Kate McLennan at Abner Stein on behalf of The Gernert Company. Canongate will publish in trade paperback in January 2016.

The first book in pop psychology to explore the minds, motives, and methods of con artists, The Confidence Game investigates the psychological principles that underlie each stage of the confidence game and the profile of both the con artist and his mark. Typically artists of persuasion and exploiters of trust, con men hold a deep, enigmatic fascination for us. But how do they do it? From suspicious-looking emails to a multimillion-dollar global swindle, we learn how grifters can be so persuasive, even to those of us who consider ourselves immune, and how we can train ourselves to discern the signs of a story that isn't quite what it seems. Insightful and entertaining, telling fascinating stories about some of the most seductive imposters in history, The Confidence Game takes us into the world of the con to examine not only why we believe in confidence artists but how our sense of truth can be manipulated by those around us.

Maria Konnikova said: 'I'm thrilled to be publishing The Confidence Game with the incredible team at Canongate. Researching the book has been one of the most fascinating and revelatory experiences of my career. In some ways, I've learned more about human nature in the last three years than in the majority of my doctoral work - and I'm excited to share the results with the public.'

Jenny Lord said: 'After exploring the extraordinary powers of mind of Sherlock Holmes, star psychology writer Maria Konnikova turns her attention to the art of the con. In this riveting and meticulously researched book, we learn what makes a con artist and how it is that we continue to be duped.'

Maria Konnikova was born in Moscow and grew up in the United States. Her first book, Mastermind, was a New York Times bestseller. She is a contributing writer for The New Yorker, where she writes a regular column with a focus on psychology and culture, and her writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, Scientific American MIND and The Smithsonian, among numerous other publications. Maria graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University and received her PhD in psychology from Columbia University. She is currently a Schachter Writing Fellow at Columbia University's Motivation Science Center and lives in New York City. www.mariakonnikova.com