‘YOU KNOW YOU WANT THIS’

Author of Viral ‘Cat Person’ Short Story Gets 7-Figure Book Deal

Kristen Roupenian’s debut story collection is set for spring 2019.

Kristen Roupenian, the author of the viral New Yorker short story “Cat Person,” has landed a seven-figure, two-book deal for her debut story collection and novel in the works. According to Scout Press, Roupenian’s “You Know You Want This”—the collection—is scheduled for a spring 2019 release. It will, according to the publisher’s announcement, “explore the complex—and often dark and funny—connections between gender, sex, and power, across genres.” The Associated Press reported that two publishing officials placed bidding for the two-book deal at above $1 million, but Scout Press would not disclose financial details of the arrangement. The sensational “Cat Person” followed the brief, disturbing relationship between a 20-year-old woman and a 34-year-old man. Roupenian told the magazine that the story was inspired by “a small but nasty encounter” she had with a person she met online.