By Leah Murphy, Emily Lavin, Chante-Marie Dante and Annamária Rátki
I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest with You differs from Miranda Hart’s previous comedic work, as it is a memoir that provides an intimate insight into her life. In the book, she opens up about her mental health struggles, including her battles with anxiety and depression. She also discusses the pressures of fame and the societal expectations she’s had to face, including the pressure of maintaining a certain public persona. Throughout the book, she touches on feelings of loneliness and low self-worth, something many people can relate to. In essence, it is a spiritual journey that she takes her readers on, giving them an opportunity to get to know her personally.
Reviews of I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest with You have been overwhelmingly positive from both readers and critics. The Independent describes the book as: “A bombshell, moving, inspirational. Hart passes on the tips that helped her emerge from psychological as much as physical doldrums. No comedian, female or male, has been so taken to the nation’s bosom since Victoria Wood.”
Throughout the book, Hart uses humour to make the most out of her terrible situation, while also sharing heartfelt advice with readers, to help them navigate their own mental health challenges with resilience and hope. Her candid approach not only helps people feel understood, but it shows that even in the darkest times, there is room for healing.
Social media
Hart has been on Instagram for many years, with over 1.2 million followers at present. The comedian and writer has been quite active on social media since her book's publication, and has been posting almost every day. Most of these posts include her appearances on TV shows, parts of her touring experience or videos talking to her followers about her illness and the book itself. Hart knows what her audience wants, as most of her reels have 500K to 1 million views. She brings her personality and humour to all her posts, promoting the book to people who might only follow her for her comedy. Her fans are also showing their support, many of whom shared the book on their social media.
As Hart is a well-known celebrity, many posts include fans going to events and getting the book signed. Hart has her own website called The Miranda Shop where fans can pre-order her signed book bundle. The lucky ones who pre-ordered the book could enter into a competition to win a lovely bundle of gifts recently alongside their copy of the book. This included items such as a tote bag, postcard and matching notebook, which many have posted to their social media. Many book influencers are adding it to their TBR (To Be Read) piles, and its vivid colours are perfect for catching the eye of viewers on their TikTok For You pages.
Events
With Hart’s book documenting her struggles with chronic illness, it is understandable that the author did not want to commit to a typical book tour. However, the limited events she did hold were guaranteed to be evenings of such fun!
Starting at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, audiences joined the author for a night of laughter and intimate conversation. Miranda was open and honest about her journey with chronic fatigue, not being taken seriously by doctors, and how she learned to appreciate the small joys in life. The author was joined by her Miranda (sitcom series) co-star Sally Phillips, with the event previously teasing a special guest. An exclusive Q&A session drew the evening to a close, with the comedian willing to be asked any question.
Another big event on the tour was held at Chester Racecourse, the perfect venue for the star whose on-screen persona had an affinity for galloping everywhere! This event was in conversation with Strictly Come Dancing’s Janette Manrara – who also featured in the author’s recent “how-to dance” video Hart filmed for her Miranda co-star Sarah Hadland.
The evening was in partnership with Lingham’s Bookshop and Booka Bookshop, with Lingham’s Bookshop providing signed copies of I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest With You for the lucky audience members.
Other Marketing Strategies
As is often seen with memoirs, Hart herself has been heavily involved with the campaign for I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest with You, utilising her presence in the industry to get the word out about her latest release.
Alongside other celebrities such as Selena Gomez and Ncuti Gatwa, Hart recently appeared on The Graham Norton Show where she shared that Gomez’s documentary, My Mind and Me, which centres around Gomez’s health issues, inspired Hart to keep writing about her own struggles with chronic illness. On the show, Hart also did what she does best, using her humour to her advantage by pointing out that her book and Boris Johnson’s memoir Unleashed, were to be released on the same day, and suggesting that their titles should be reversed, to laughter from the crowd.
Since her appearance on the show, Hart has taken this narrative further, sharing side by side Photoshopped images on X (formerly Twitter) of her and Johnson’s covers swapped, a post which has gained 234K views. Hart’s capitalisation off of another publication is a really effective strategy to make sure her book is being talked about. Alongside this, some bookshops have seemingly followed her lead, placing the books next to each other on shelves.
Hart also recently appeared on Kirsty Young’s Young Again podcast, discussing her unexpected career break, how her illness built into a health crisis and how writing her new novel helped her in this journey, giving both long-time fans and potential readers a greater insight into what to expect from her latest release, encouraging sales further.