Just when you thought you couldn’t love Stormzy more, he goes and does this. The chart-topping, Mercury Prize nominated, Ivor Novello winning grime artist announced yesterday his brand new venture, #Merky Books. A partnership with Penguin Random House UK, the brand new imprint will be dedicated to highlighting young voices and will aim to publish two to three titles per year, showcasing the best new fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

“When I was in school I fell in love with literature and looking back it’s safe to say that this was the start of a life-long journey with words, poetry and writing. I read books religiously and often wrote poems which were undeniably setting me up for a career as a songwriter and a rapper.” Stormzy explains. “We’ve created #Merky Books for many reasons, the first simply for it to be a reference point for talented young writers to say ‘I can be an author’ and for that to be a feasible and realistic achievement and not something in the distance. We hope this imprint will instil belief and ambition in young writers, making publishing seem less prohibitive and making the dream of being a published author a reality. We want #Merky Books to be a source of confidence and I look forward to publishing writers from all different walks of life, especially those who may have never had the opportunity to get into the industry so early.”

Launching with “Rise Up” – the story of Stormzy’s rise to the top – in November, sign up here to keep up to date with everything #Merky.