Quercus lands Bill Bailey's happiness guide

Quercus has landed Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to Happiness, a collection of “funny, meditative and thoughtful” essays with illustrations from the comedian and designer Joe Magee.

Katy Follain, non-fiction publisher, bought world rights from Bailey's production company Glassbox Productions, for publication on 15th October.

The synopsis explains: “In Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to Happiness, Bill explores the nature of happiness and ways to be, well, happy. Being Bill Bailey however, he does so in his own, remarkable, Bill Bailey way. From paddle-boarding down the Thames in a Santa hat, to wild swimming in a glacial river, Bill considers the exhilaration of the outdoors, as well as the quieter pleasures of clearing out your moth-eaten grey T-shirts. He attempts to see beyond the mumbo-jumbo of the wellness industry and aims for the heart of real joy and contentment — and how we can all achieve it.

Bailey, whose Remarkable Guide to British Birds was published by Quercus in 2016, said: “I’m delighted to be working with Quercus again, and on a project that’s dear to my heart. Looking back over many years of my stand-up shows, I have realised that the nature of happiness is a subject which I return to time and time again, and having the chance to explore it in even more depth for this book is an opportunity I relish.”

Follain added: “I’m really pleased to be working with Bill again, he’s such an incredible talent. His guide to happiness will be a wonderful gift book for anyone who needs a big and comforting slice of comfort, which, let’s face it, we’ll all be needing for a while still. A self-confessed 'hippie materialist', Bill’s unique, funny and quirky way of seeing things, as well as his ability to enter the mindfulness zone, makes for a refreshing and uplifting read. His self-portraits, of which there will be many in the book, will add to the must-have appeal of this delightful book.”