Headline signs comedian Ivo Graham’s book on failure

Headline has acquired Yardsticks For Failure, the debut book from comedian and “Taskmaster” contestant Ivo Graham, publishing on 26th September 2024.

Richard Roper, former senior commissioning editor at Headline, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Flo Howard at Off the Kerb. Yvonne Jacob, deputy publishing director, will be editing.

Yardsticks For Failure is described s “a deep dive into the various facepalms of Ivo’s recent past and a live diary of his unravelling present, where his solution to the general bedlam of his life has been to pile his plate higher than ever before” and “a gleeful glimpse behind the grubby curtain of stand-up comedy, via friendship and films, fatherhood and Funkytown”.

“A feast for anyone who’s ever been enthralled or appalled by Ivo’s cursed politeness, squandered promise, or serial prank-victimhood; for anyone battling to get their own life inbox to zero; for anyone who’s ever set fire to a diary, lost their mind over a quiz, or pegged it through a station for the last train home,” the publisher continues.

“Yardsticks For Failure is a unique self-examination from one of the most eloquent writers and worriers of his generation. Ivo almost certainly won’t achieve everything he sets out to, but it’s going to be a hell of a ride.”

Jacob said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Ivo to the Headline list. In Yardsticks For Failure he brilliantly draws on those aspirations we all have, both big and small, that are slipping away in the face of our daily grind. It’s the book we all need to help us lean into our dreams, as well as our to-do list, and find out a little bit more about ourselves along the way.”

Graham commented: “As much as I enjoy being sent memes of myself in distress, usually clutching my head in a shed, it’s a huge privilege to be able to flesh out my catalogue of professional meltdowns in my own words. I haven’t made the best of all the privileges in my life, but I fully intend to make the best of this one.”