Nadine Shah writing non-fiction book about grief, fame and human behaviour

It'll be published by new imprint Nine Eight Books, which has also acquired the memoir of Lush's Miki Berenyi

Nadine Shah has signed a book deal with Nine Eight Books, the new music-focused imprint  of publisher Bonnier Books UK.

Nine Eight Books will release “memoirs, social histories, genre explorations and first person oral narratives”, and as Music Week reports, two titles in its pipeline are a non-fiction book by Shah and a memoir by Lush’s Miki Berenyi.

Shah’s book will reflect on grief, fame and human behaviour in “hilarious but heartwrenching fashion”, according to Nine Eight Books. Its publishing director Pete Selby spoke with Music Week about Shah’s book, which he said would reflect her “forthright” and “painfully honest” voice.

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“It’s going to examine fame and grief and human behaviour in a heart-wrenching fashion but it’s also going to be funny and jaw-dropping,” Selby told Music Week. “I fear our lawyers are going to have a field day with the manuscript! It’s going to have genuine water cooler, crossover appeal.”

Shah shared the news on her Twitter account, revealing that the book is still a work-in-progress. “I’m not done writing it yet so there’s still plenty time for me to immortalise how great or shit you are in print,” she quipped. “Send gifts.”

As for Berenyi’s forthcoming memoir, Selby has compared it to Clothes, Music, Boys, the 2014 memoir by The Slits’ Viv Albertine.

“I believe it’s an objective truth that the best books from the alternative music scene over recent years – actually, any scene – have been written by women,” he says. “It’s like the traditional male rock n’ roll narrative has finally been repointed and it’s one of the best things to happen to music publishing this century.”

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Both books are scheduled to be published in 2022. The first book to be released under Nine Eight Books is The A-Z Of Queen by writer Mark Blake, set for November 2021. Other works include in-depth explorations of Britney Spears and the Bee Gees.

Shah last released her fourth studio album, ‘Kitchen Sink’, in June 2020. Berenyi currently performs in the band Piroshka, who released the debut album ‘Brickbat’ in 2019.

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