PRH scoops memoir of body activist Howard

Penguin Random House Children’s is publishing the memoir of model and body activist Charli Howard.

Commissioning editor Holly Harris acquired UK & Commonwealth rights (excluding Canada) from Adam Gauntlett at PFD. It will publish Misfit under the Penguin imprint in February 2018.

The title is described as a “funny and touching memoir of living with and subsequently overcoming the eating disorders and mental health issues” which Howard has experienced since childhood. She is a model and body positivity ambassador.

Despite being medically underweight, she was fired for her size by her modelling agency in 2015 and wrote an open letter to her former agents in response. Howard has since used her platform to create "The All Woman Project", a charity that goes into schools to educate about body image and mental health issues.

The plus-size model, who is based in New York, said: “As a teenager with mental health issues, I mistakenly believed that being thin and 'beautiful' would miraculously make me happy. So, how did a slightly bonkers misfit with anorexia, bulimia and anxiety decide to solve their problems? I became a model.

“It’s taken me until my mid-20s to see that happiness will never come from changing yourself or from dieting - that you’re born to stand out.”

She added: “There is still such a stigma surrounding mental health and I hope my story of overcoming my issues will help people to see that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and happiness comes from within.”

Harris said: “We are all so excited about Misfit here at Penguin Random House Children’s. Charli is a brilliant writer, effortlessly funny, warm and relatable. Body positivity is such an important subject and Charli is a brilliant spokesperson for it. We can’t wait to publish this in February."