Quercus to publish handwriting expert Emma Bache's first book

Quercus has bought graphologist and psychotherapist Emma Bache’s first book, Reading Between the Lines, an "enlightening and entertaining" guide to what our handwriting says about us.

Katy Follain bought World rights from Jo Unwin at JULA Ltd to publish in September 2018.

The book will show readers how to judge their own or someone else’s handwriting as a whole and in detail, analysing aspects of penmanship such as the height of an ‘h’, the curliness of a ‘g’, the force of a penstroke, the space between two words that, according to Bache, all reveal a kernel of the writer’s personality as "signals we are giving out without meaning to".

​Reading Between the Lines will also have an interactive element, with celebrity samples for the reader to put their new-found knowledge to the test, examples of historical handwriting for comparisons with modern-day scripts, and other challenges and exercises.

Handwriting expert Bache has worked as a graphologist in all areas of management. She has provided services for organisations such as Strutt and Parker, Lazards, and Hillier Parker, with charity work including for Action on Addiction and the Macmillan Fund. She has also worked extensively for BBC Television and Radio and, since 2010, has been working on criminal linguistic cases for companies and individuals too.

Follain, non-fiction publisher, said: "This wonderful book chimes in perfectly with the rise of the low-tech trend that we are witnessing – from vinyl revival to letter-writing and printed books. The beauty of the handwritten word is celebrated here in a lively, informative and potentially life-changing way, as Emma Bache imparts her knowledge and gives a fascinating insight into character analysis."