Ebury are to publish Misfits: A Personal Manifesto, the first book by BAFTA-winning actor and writer Michaela Coel. Marianne Tatepo, commissioning editor at Ebury, acquired World All Language rights from the author in an exclusive deal negotiated with Michael Duff and Conor McCaughan. Misfits will be published on 7th September 2021 in A-format hardback at £9.99 by Ebury Press, as a lead Autumn title, with a simultaneous publication in the US by Macmillan imprint Henry Holt, whose Editor-at-large Retha Powers acquired North American rights from Ebury at auction.
Tatepo said: ‘Ever since I first watched Chewing Gum, I knew that Michaela was one of a kind. I May Destroy You again proved this to be true, gathering fans everywhere and stealing the hearts of global icons from Adele and Seth Rogan to Barack Obama. By turns inquisitive, devastating, beautiful and hilarious, Michaela’s storytelling forever urges us to think again. Her début, Misfits, draws on the same kaleidoscope of ideas and emotions as her hit TV shows, and will inspire readers to reflect on their own relationship to power. We are proud to be bringing Michaela’s unique voice to a whole new audience.’
In this agenda-setting début, Michaela Coel, BAFTA-winning actor and writer of breakout series I May Destroy You and Chewing Gum, makes a compelling case for radical honesty.
Drawing on her unflinching Edinburgh Festival MacTaggart lecture, Misfits recounts deeply personal anecdotes from Coel’s life and work. With insight and wit, it lays bare her journey to reclaiming her creativity and power, inviting readers to reflect on theirs.
Advocating for ‘misfits’ everywhere, this timely, necessary book is a rousing and bold case against fitting in.’
Michaela Coel is the creator of the hit TV shows, Chewing Gum and I May Destroy You. She is a BAFTA, Royal Television Society, Broadcasting Press Guild and NAACP prize-winning actor, screenwriter and director. In 2020, she was included in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People and British Vogue's 2020 Most Influential Women lists.
MISFITS: A Personal Manifesto, Michaela Coel, 7 September 2021, Ebury Press, £9.99. Pre-order here.
