MacKenzie Scott, ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who has given away over $26 billion to 2,500+ nonprofits, returns to fiction in August after 13 years with new novel

MacKenzie Scott, the former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos who has given away more than $26 billion to over 2,500 nonprofit organizations, is returning to fiction after a 13-year publishing hiatus. The billionaire philanthropist has announced a new 80,000-word novel, “Last Days in Two Nations (A History in Eighteen Minds),” which she plans to release serially throughout August. The 317-page novel will be released serially throughout August through Scott’s newly launched Substack newsletter, which carries the same name as the book.

ALSO READ: Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife MacKenzie Scott, who sold half of her Amazon stake, helped erase $40 billion in medical debt with $100 million in donations

MacKenzie Scott announces new novel

MacKenzie Scott revealed the project earlier this month (August), sharing the novel’s title page, table of contents, character list and epigraphs with readers. However, she did not go into the details about the actual story.


Rather than releasing a conventional book announcement filled with plot details, Scott appears to be publishing the novel chapter by chapter through her Substack, according to a report in the New York Times. On Instagram, she urged followers to “read and subscribe” to follow the release.

ALSO READ: Europe’s youngest self-made billionaire: James Dacombe dropped out of high school at 17 to build his startup and now his wealth has crossed the $1 billion mark at 25

Her release schedule indicates that the novel will unfold throughout August, giving readers a rare opportunity to follow Scott’s fiction writing in real time.

The unusual rollout is also consistent with Scott’s low-key approach to public communication. Since 2020, she has primarily communicated through carefully written blog posts, particularly about her philanthropic work.

Scott studied creative writing under Toni Morrison

Long before she became one of the world's most closely watched philanthropists, Scott was an aspiring novelist. She studied creative writing at Princeton University, where she worked under celebrated novelist and Nobel laureate Toni Morrison. Morrison supervised Scott’s 168-page thesis, The Fathering Water, and later helped her secure a literary agent.

ALSO READ: 17-year-old Pennsylvania student Connor Hill wins $250,000 after computer algorithm solves decades-old geometry puzzle, identifying exactly 146 rare 3D shapes

Scott’s debut novel, “The Testing of Luther Albright,” was published in 2005 and received strong critical attention. Morrison also provided a blurb for the book.

Scott followed it with “Traps” in 2013, her second novel. Around that time, she gave a rare interview to Vogue while she was still married to Bezos. The publication of her new novel therefore represents a return to a part of her life that largely disappeared from public view for more than a decade.

From novelist to billionaire philanthropist

Scott’s literary career took a dramatic back seat after her divorce from Bezos in 2019. Following the divorce, she received a substantial stake in Amazon and quickly became one of the world's richest people. Instead of building a highly visible philanthropic organization, Scott adopted an unconventional approach: giving large, unrestricted grants directly to organizations.

She has donated billions of dollars to thousands of nonprofits, including organizations working in education, economic equity, environmental causes and social justice.

MacKenzie Scott remains intensely private

Despite her enormous wealth and influence, Scott has generally avoided interviews and public appearances. She has also openly expressed discomfort with the level of media attention surrounding her philanthropy.

In a 2022 post, Scott explained her decision to communicate publicly, writing: “A belief in a diversity of voices drives my own communication choices as well. It’s what inspired me to override a personal preference for privacy and write a series of essays that bring attention to the work of these organizations.”

Her return to fiction is therefore significant. After years of being known primarily for her billions in charitable giving and connection to Bezos, “Last Days in Two Nations” offers readers a glimpse into Scott the novelist once again.