Michaela Coel to publish debut book, Misfits: A Personal Manifesto

Book about the Chewing Gum creator ‘reclaiming her creativity and power’ to be published later this year

Michaela Coel has announced that her first book will be published by Ebury this autumn.

The award-winning creator of Chewing Gum and I May Destroy You shared the news from her Twitter account, including that the book will be titled Misfits: A Personal Manifesto.

Marianne Tatepo, commissioning editor at Ebury, said that Coel’s storytelling “forever urges us to think again”.

“Ever since I first watched Chewing Gum, I knew that Michaela was one of a kind,” she said.

“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 debut, 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.”

Misfits will include personal anecdotes from Coel’s life and work, as she details her journey to reclaim her creativity, and invites readers to do the same.

“Drawing on her unflinching Edinburgh Festival MacTaggart lecture, Misfits recounts deeply personal anecdotes from Coel’s life and work to argue for greater transparency,” the publisher’s official statement reads.

“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.”

Coel received universal acclaim for her BBC series, I May Destroy You, which aired in 2020.

That same year, she was included in Time magazine’s list of 100 Most Influential People.