OK, so, about this #Merky Books thing… It all started back in, like, July 2018. I was scrolling through Instagram, and boom, there’s this post from Stormzy. Yeah, the rapper, Stormzy. He’s announcing he’s getting into the book publishing game. Can you believe it?
I was intrigued, to say the least. I mean, a grime MC starting a publishing imprint? That’s not something you see every day. So, I dug a little deeper. Turns out, he teamed up with Penguin Random House to create this thing called #Merky Books.
The whole idea behind it is pretty cool. They’re all about giving a platform to young, unpublished writers, especially those who are underrepresented. I think the age range is 16-30, and they’re looking for writers from the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
They even launched this annual competition called the New Writers’ Prize. If you win, you get a publishing contract with #Merky Books. I mean, how awesome is that?
- Started in July 2018
- A collaboration between Stormzy and Penguin Random House
- Aims to discover young, unpublished writers
- Offers a New Writers’ Prize with a publishing contract
I kept following their journey, and it’s been quite a ride. They’ve already published a few books. I remember seeing one called “That Reminds Me.” And get this, there’s another one they picked up recently, “Wimmy Road Boyz” by Sufiyaan Salam, which actually won their New Writers’ Prize this year. That is amazing!
I started to sign up for their newsletter too, to stay updated. They always share some interesting stuff, and you might even discover your next favorite read through them. I just love how they are always trying their best to help those new writers.
So, yeah, that’s my little adventure with #Merky Books so far. It’s been cool to see how this thing has grown from a simple announcement to a real platform for new voices. I am really happy to see that Stormzy is not just about the music but also give back to the community. I hope they will keep up the good work, and I will for sure keep my eyes on what they are up to.
