Cally Beaton writes her first book

'Part memoir, part stereotype-defying manifesto,’

Cally Beaton has written her first book, about her ‘mid-life reinvention’ from TV executive to stand-up comedian.

The book shares its title with her podcast, Namaste Motherf*ckers, and is subtitled ‘a modern manifesto for keeping cool when you’re a hot mess.’

Publishers Headline Home describe it a ‘part memoir, part stereotype-defying manifesto,’ adding this is is ‘a funny, empowering, practical book that takes an irreverent look at the author's own story of radical midlife reinvention - taking her from meetings in the boardroom to becoming a stand-up comedian - thanks to a chance conversation with the late, great Joan Rivers encouraging her to make change happen.’

The book will be released next July, and features cover quotes from Sandi Toksvig, Sara Pascoe and Richard Osman.

Lindsey Evans, publishing director of Headline Home told trade website The Bookseller: ‘I was delighted when Cally’s proposal arrived. This book is full of heart, humour and many important and empowering midlife lessons. Cally is the perfect person to teach us all how to keep cool when life makes us feel like a hot mess.’

Beaton confirmed she had finished writing the manuscript on social media, posting: ‘It's written! ... Feel as if I've given birth, but with less shit involved. Maybe.’

Now 55, she took up stand-up a decade ago after meeting Joan Rivers while working for Comedy Central’s parent company Viacom – a year after ‘the love of my life left on my 44th birthday’.

In an. interview with The Guardian last year she explained: ‘She’d seen me on stage, mic in hand, keeping rooms full of jaded, drunken TV industry executives vaguely warm and suggested I have a crack at stand-up.

‘I told her that as a 45-year-old single parent of two kids, one of them with special needs, and a board level job, it was too late and that ship had sailed. She looked at me and said: "I’m 81."

‘A couple of weeks later, out of the blue, she died. A couple of weeks after that, I did my first stand-up gig.’

The blurb for Namaste Motherf*ckers concludes:‘Sharing stories and experiences from her career, alongside lessons learned from the many celebrities and experts that have guested on her hit podcast of the same name, Cally challenges at every turn the age-old narrative that women become invisible when they cease to be fertile.

Book cover ‘It's also a book about defying the bullshit expectation that midlife women at best maintain (looks, career, relationships), at worst decline. With ambitious thinking and personal development takeouts from her time as a coach, Cally debunks many of the myths surrounding the female of the species and gives a fresh, funny and life-affirming look at what it means to be a middle-aged woman who is willing to take a chance, put herself out there and who is also willing to fail.’