Greg James reveals book launch delay following Queen’s death

Greg James has revealed the death of the Queen had an affect on his writing, causing the launch of his latest book to be delayed.

When Her Majesty passed away on 8 September last year, the following day Greg was widely praised for his speech about grief.

But the news affected his passion for writing and releasing children’s books with Chris Smith and it forced them to postpone the softback release of Super Ghost. The book is now available to buy.

“The plan was to bring it out last September, but there was quite a significant world event,” the Radio 1 breakfast show host said on motoring podcast Fuelling Around.

“There was quite a big famous death that happened. The week of our publication about a dead superhero, who was a national treasure in his city, was somewhat overshadowed, and rightly so; the news very much focused on the real person dying – Her Majesty, rest in peace – and not a fictional superhero.

“It sort of meant book shops were closed, which isn’t great for sales. So, we’re going to give it another little roll of the dice.”

The duo are also planning to bring out another book in March 2024 as they continue to expand their growing repertoire of best-selling stories.

“We’ve checked the health of all senior members of the royal family so we’re bringing the paperback out,” Greg joked. “We’ve loved doing those children’s books, but we particularly like taking them out and doing events at schools and assemblies and literacy festivals and stuff.”

Greg also spoke about a wide range of topics on the podcast show including his BBC career and love of cars.