Virgin to publish 'sweary' colouring-in books

Virgin Books is publishing three "sweary" colouring books "of colourful language" from self-published author James Alexander.

The first two books in the deal are Release Your Anger and Memos to Shitty People, publishing in July 2016, priced £6.99 each, while a third book, title to be confirmed, will come later in the year.

The books, described as "hilarious, stress-relieving and delightfully deviant", will include "tension-busting phrases" on each page, such as, "Seriously, Bitch?" adorned by cute illustrations of animals, flowers or intricate mandalas hidden in the backgrounds "to help let the steam out".

The books were originally published on Amazon's self-publishing platform Create Space.

Jake Lingwood, publisher and deputy managing director at Ebury bought world (excluding North America) rights from Charlie Brotherstone at Ed Victor Limited. Lingwood said: "James already has many tens of thousands of fans who agree with us that he is flipping marvellous.  The Ebury machine is cranking into gear to take him to the next level."

Alexander said: "I'm thrilled to be working with Ebury Publishing to bring my sweary colouring books to an even bigger audience. I have always focused on providing the best colouring book experience to my fans, and I'm delighted to do just that with Ebury."