Faber seizes debut novel by Belle and Sebastian frontman Murdoch

Faber has seized Nobody’s Empire, the debut novel by Belle and Sebastian frontman Stuart Murdoch, for publication in September 2024.

Dan Papps, director of popular music, and Angus Cargill, publisher director, acquired UK and Commonwealth excluding Canada rights from Sandy Hodgman at Hodgman Literary, on behalf of Jud Laghi at The Jud Laghi Agency.

Set in Glasgow and California in the early 1990s, Nobody’s Empire is part memoir and part fiction. It follows Stephen who is "in search of a new-world reinvention" after having been in hospital for his chronic fatigue syndrome. 

Murdoch is the lead singer and songwriter for the Glasgow-based band Belle and Sebastian. Since forming in the mid-1990s, the band has released 12 studio albums, including If You’re Feeling Sinister and The Boy With the Arab Strap.

In 2012 Murdoch scripted, composed and directed the movie "God Help the Girl". He is an advocate for sufferers of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), and an ambassador for the Open Medicine Foundation working to promote awareness of ME/CFS.

He said: "I drifted into writing Nobody’s Empire. It felt like the right time to tell this story in long-form, even though I have been singing about it for years. I imagined I was writing it for the ME/CFS community and as the book went on it became more important to me, gaining a life of its own.

"I needed it as much as it needed me and I leant heavily on it for solace. Therefore, when it was picked up by Faber for publication, I was elated and very relieved. Hopefully, this is the start of a beautiful relationship!"