Penguin Life to publish Ruby Wax’s seventh and 'most revelatory' book 

Penguin Life has snapped up I’m Not as Well as I Thought I Was – Ruby Wax’s seventh book and “her most revelatory on mental health to date”.

Publisher Martina O’Sullivan acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, from Caroline Michel at PFD for publication on 11th May 2023.

The synopsis reads: “Checking into a psychiatric institution wasn’t on Ruby Wax’s agenda for 2022 – writing about it wasn’t either, but here we are. The book will be an honest exploration of mental health and how you can overcome the unanticipated challenges it can bring. The book offers reassurance to anyone out there who is also confronting their own anticipated, or unanticipated, struggles with mental health.”

Ruby Wax is a comedian, performer, mental health campaigner and author. According to the publisher her previous six books have collectively sold over one million copies worldwide and include Sane New World (Hodder & Stoughton), A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled and How to be Human (Penguin Life).

She is also the founder of Frazzled Café, a "talk-in" place where people who are feeling “frazzled” can meet online or in-person and share their personal stories in a safe, anonymous and non-judgmental environment.

O’Sullivan said: “We are so proud to publish Ruby and this incredible book is the most honest, raw and witty exploration of mental health that I’ve read. My hope is that this book helps to remove the stigma around admitting you’re not okay.”

Wax said: “Originally I set out on potentially life-changing journeys to find meaning in my life.  If successful, it would serve as a kind of guide to inspire others on the same path. I ended up in a mental clinic. Obviously, things didn’t turn out the way I expected.

“I had no idea what really happened to me since I quickly turned my past into comedy. The good news, I got a career out of it, the bad was the trauma I buried. The journey had to become inward. I didn’t realise you can only find meaning once you’ve faced the demons. And so I did.”