ABC Books is proud to announce that it has acquired World rights to publish triple j presenter Tom Tilley’s coming -of-age memoir Speaking in Tongues in a six-figure deal negotiated by The Fordham Company’s Hamish Birt.
For more than a decade, Tilley has shared other people’s stories as reporter and then presenter of triple j’s weeknight current affairs program Hack. Now, after announcing this week that he’ll be leaving triple j at the end of 2019, Tilley has revealed he’ll be focusing on a variety of projects, including writing his own story.
The much-admired and beloved radio host will for the first time tell of his experience growing up in a Pentecostal church – and how he broke away. A powerful and revealing memoir that explores identity and reinvention, Speaking in Tongues will be published in 2021.
On his motivation to write his memoir, Tilley said: ‘Not many people know it, but I was born into a fundamentalist church that believed speaking in tongues was the only true path to salvation. It took several painful years for me to work out they were wrong. Little did I know that this process would make me who I am today. This book is for anyone who had to break the mould they were born into. I can’t wait to share my story.’
‘We’re thrilled to be publishing Tom’s memoir,’ ABC Books publisher Jude McGee said. ‘We know from Tom’s brilliant journalism that he’s a talented storyteller, but this will be the first time Tom tells his own extraordinary story.’
Hamish Birt of The Fordham Company said: ‘We were delighted with the strong level of interest in Tom’s story from major publishers across Australia. We know Tom is in safe hands with ABC Books. They really understand Tom’s personality, tone and style and we know they’ll do his unique story justice. We can’t wait to read the final result.’
Tom Tilley is exclusively managed by The Fordham Company.