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Saturday 17 November 2018

Stormzy launches #Merky Books publishing imprint to help young writers

The grime star is going to publish his first book in November.

Stormzy launches #Merky Books publishing imprint to help young writers (Ian West/PA)
Stormzy launches #Merky Books publishing imprint to help young writers (Ian West/PA)

By Lucy Mapstone, Press Association Deputy Entertainment Editor

Stormzy is launching his own publishing imprint called #Merky Books, which will help young writers become published authors.

The rapper announced his new venture, a collaboration with Penguin Random House, on Instagram.

He wrote: “I know too many talented writers that don’t always have an outlet or a means to get their work seen and hopefully #Merky Books can now be a reference point for them to say ‘I can be an author’ and for that to be a realistic and achievable goal.

View this post on Instagram

Super proud to announce our new venture #Merky Books, a publishing imprint in collaboration with Penguin Random House @penguinukbooks We will be using this as a platform for young writers to become published authors, I know too many talented writers that don’t always have an outlet or a means to get their work seen and hopefully #Merky Books can now be a reference point for them to say “I can be an author” and for that to be a realistic and achievable goal. Reading and writing as a kid was integral to where I am today and I from the bottom of my heart can not wait to hear your stories, your poems, your novels, your sci-fis and then getting them out into the big wide world. Proper proud of this! We’ll be doing school competitions, taking entries and submissions and looking for writers as well but I’ll keep you posted! #Merky Books will also be offering a paid internship in 2019! The first book to be released under the imprint will be “Rise Up: The #Merky Journey So Far” out November 1st and available for pre order now (The link is in my bio!) 🙏🏿❤️

A post shared by #MERKY (@stormzy) on

“Reading and writing as a kid was integral to where I am today and I from the bottom of my heart cannot wait to hear your stories, your poems, your novels, your sci-fis and then getting them out into the big wide world.”

He added that he is “proper proud of this” and that #Merky Books will “be doing school competitions, taking entries and submissions and looking for writers as well”.

Stormzy, real name Michael Ebenazer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr, added: “#Merky Books will also be offering a paid internship in 2019!”

The 24-year-old grime star’s first book to be released under the imprint will be his own called Rise Up: The #Merky Journey So Far, which will be available from November 1.

Stormzy was described by Penguin as the “voice of a generation” in a tweet from the publisher.

The imprint aims to publish two to three books per year, and “form a home for a new generation of voices”, Penguin said on its website.

#Merky Books is the latest addition to the Mobo and Brit Award-winning artist’s Merky empire, which already includes a record label and a music festival.

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