Hannah Gadsby's 'vital' memoir to Allen & Unwin

Allen & Unwin has signed a "vital and extremely funny" memoir by Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby, whose powerful stand-up show "Nanette" has received rapturous acclaim after being streamed on Netflix.

Ten Steps to Nanette is a memoir that follows the events of Gadsby’s life leading up to her realization that she had to quit comedy as she knew it, a decision that she interrogates in her performance.

Gadsby grew up in Tasmania and came to prominence when she won the Raw Comedy competition for new comedians at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2006. "Nanette" won the Best Comedy Show award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017 and was performed at the Soho Theatre in London earlier this year.

Allen & Unwin editorial director Clare Drysdale acquired UK Commonwealth (excluding Canada and ANZ) rights to Ten Steps to Nanette, at auction from Janette Linden at PBJ.

Drysdale said: "Seeing Hannah Gadsby perform 'Nanette' in London was thought-provoking, uncomfortable and mesmerising, and I’m still marvelling at her honesty and audacity. It’s been thrilling to see the international reception to 'Nanette' on Netflix, and we couldn’t be prouder to be publishing Hannah’s vital and extremely funny book on the Allen & Unwin list next year."

Rights to Ten Steps to Nanette have been sold internationally. Right were sold first, and originally, to Allen & Unwin in Australia, and have since been sold to Ballantine in the US. Other international rights went to Intrinseca (Brazil), in a pre-empt, by JP Riff at the Riff Agency; to Columna (Catalonia), at auction, by Aida Tarragona at MB Agency; to Nijgh & Van Ditmar (Netherlands), in a pre-empt, by Diana Gvozden at Marianne Schoenbach Literary Agency; to Rowohlt/Polaris (Germany), in a pre-empt, by Christian Dittus at Paul & Peter Fritz Agency, and to Reservoir Books (Spain), at auction, by Ines Planells at MB Agency, all on behalf of Szilvia Molnar at Sterling Lord Literistic.

Ten Steps to Nanette will be published by Allen & Unwin in Autumn 2019.