Sphere snaps up Evie Meg's Tourette's guide

Sphere will publish My Nonidentical Twin: What I Want You to Know About Living With Tourette’s? by 20-year-old TikTok celebrity Evie Meg. 

The Little, Brown imprint's editorial director Emily Barrett and editorial assistant Ruth Jones directly acquired world and dramatisation rights to the former champion gymnast's debut. The deal was struck directly with the author and the book will publish in hardback, e-book and audio on 28th October 2021. 

“Twenty-year-old Evie Meg is one of the biggest TikTok stars in the UK—and the world—with over 12.5 million followers and more likes across her posts than global stars such as Kylie Jenner and Selena Gomez,” Sphere said. “More importantly, she has a valuable story to share. Through her social media platforms she has raised awareness of the challenges a disability like Tourette’s presents, especially for a young person. In this, her first book, she has been able to go a lot deeper than her posts allow—detailing her journey towards a diagnosis and the many physical and mental side effects her Tics have left her with and the dreams it’s affected.” 

The blurb reads: “Once a British gymnast champion with hopes of becoming a teaching assistant, Evie Meg’s life has changed drastically in recent years because of her Tourette’s—yet her practical optimism and the many things she’s achieved prove that disabilities don’t define a person. Crucially, she shows through her trademark warmth how she’s overcome the obstacles in front of her, to empower the reader to feel that they can do the same with whatever life is throwing their way.” 

My Nonidentical Twin promises to be “a revelatory, uplifting and important book perfect for Evie Meg’s fans and readers looking to understand new perspectives”.  

Based in the north of England, Meg has 12.6 million followers on her TikTok account "This Trippy Hippie", the fifth biggest in the UK. She can also be found on YouTube (559k subscribers) and Instagram (274k followers). Through these platforms she raises awareness of living with Tourette’s and the other illnesses that have affected her since childhood. 

Meg, who is also an artist, said: “I have been so open about my disabilities on social media, but there’s only so much you can talk about in a post. This book has allowed me to give you a look into my life—not many people know what it’s like to live with a life-changing condition, so I’m really hoping my book will open your eyes. There aren’t many raw books like this out there, and I think this could benefit a lot of people; those with Tourette’s and without. I’m beyond grateful for this opportunity.”

Barrett and Jones said: “Meg has an extraordinary story to share—one of hope and optimism, but also one that drives awareness of what life with a disability is really like without shying away from the difficulties.  

“I don’t know of any recent books that talk so openly about the realities of a disability like Tourette’s—through being brave enough to share her story I hope Evie Meg will be providing support for the hundreds of thousands of people in the UK who are living with it, and will also educate and empower other readers, too. This is a book Evie Meg’s millions of fans will love because it shows more of Evie than they’ve ever seen before, but it’s also a book for young people who haven’t met Evie yet and want to understand different lived realities to their own.”