Nine Eight Books to publish Doyle’s essential biography of legendary Kate Bush

Nine Eight Books, the music imprint of Bonnier Books UK, has acquired Running Up That Hill: 50 Visions of Kate Bush from acclaimed music writer Tom Doyle.

Pete Selby, publishing director, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Matthew Hamilton at The Hamilton Agency.

Kate Bush: the subject of murmured legend and one of the most ground-breaking, idiosyncratic musicians of the modern era.

Comprising fifty chapters or ‘visions’, Running Up That Hill: 50 Visions of Kate Bush is a multi-faceted biography of this famously elusive figure, viewing her life and work from fresh and illuminating angles. Featuring details from the author’s one-to-one conversations with Kate, as well as vignettes of her key songs, albums, videos, and concerts; this artful, candid and often brutally funny portrait introduces the reader to the refreshingly real Kate Bush.

Along the way, the narrative also includes vivid reconstructions of transformative moments in her career and insights from the friends and collaborators closest to Kate, including her photographer brother John Carder Bush and fellow artists David Gilmour, John Lydon and Youth. The book is a vibrant and comprehensive re-examination of Kate Bush and her many creative landmarks.

Tom Doyle is the author of three highly acclaimed books: The Glamour Chase: The Maverick Life of Billy Mackenzie; Man on the Run: Paul McCartney in the 1970s; and Captain Fantastic: Elton John’s Stellar Trip Through The ’70s. As a journalist and interviewer, his work has appeared in Mojo, Billboard, Q, Sound On Sound, The Guardian and The Times. Over the years, he has profiled Paul McCartney, Neil Young, Elton John, U2, Madonna, Keith Richards, Yoko Ono and, of course, Kate Bush.

Doyle said: “I’m super-chuffed to be joining the brilliant Pete Selby and the team at Nine Eight. Kate is an outstanding and complex artist, and so I feel that examining her work and career from 50 different angles will illuminate the girl who lived in her imagination, reluctantly became famous because of it, then had to deal with unwanted outside forces, before battling on and emerging triumphant, to become one of the most ground-breaking, idiosyncratic and singular music figures of our time.”

Pete Selby, publishing director of Nine Eight Books, said: “I have long been a great admirer of Tom’s writing. His ability to poke around under the metaphorical bonnet of his subjects and deliver fresh and insightful observations is second to none. Given the current global resurgence of interest in Kate Bush and having worked closely and sympathetically with her in the past, there is no one better placed to explore the life and work of one our greatest ever artists.”

Running Up That Hill: 50 Visions of Kate Bush will publish in hardback, audio, and eBook in October 2022.