Sphere acquires YouTuber Emma Blackery's first book

Sphere non-fiction has acquired the first book by Emma Blackery, a musician and vlogger with more than 1.3 million subscribers to her YouTube channel.

Editorial director Hannah Boursnell acquired world rights in Feel Good 101 from Richard Pike at Curtis Brown, in partnership with Mark Walker at Free Focus.

Named after a series of advice videos on Blackery's channel, Feel Good 101 will be a book of personal essays covering a range of topics including body confidence, mental health, relationships, friendship and career, weaving together the author's own experiences with honest advice and quirky humour. 

It will be released in hardback and e-book in September 2017.

Blackery founded her YouTube channel in 2012 to share her music and has since released four EPs, two of which reached number 1 in the iTunes Rock Chart. In 2016 she supported Busted on their reunion tour and headlined her own UK solo tour. Her channel now includes a mixture of original music, comedy sketches and advice videos, which have clocked up 100 million views. 

Boursnell said Blackery's writing, contrary to the forthright opinions for which she is known, displays "a maturity and vulnerability that I think will surprise even her keenest fans". She added, "She’s a very talented and thoughtful writer with plenty to say – and she’s waited until the time is right to share her feelings on the topics that really matter to her audience".