Richard Herring has signed a deal with Sphere Books to publish his book about "conversation-savers for any situation".

Herring’s “emergency questions” section features regularly in his live/podcast show Richard Herring’s Leicester Square Theatre Podcast, where he has interviewed a plethora of comedians including Stephen Fry, Stephen Merchant, Kathy Burke, Russell Brand and Sean Hughes.

Emergency questions include “If you had to invent a fifth season, which two other seasons would you put it between, and what would happen during it?”, “What do you consider your median achievement?” and “What is your third earliest memory?”.

Adam Strange, Sphere's commissioning editor, acquired world rights to Emergency Questions: 1001 Conversation-Savers For Any Situation from James Taylor at Avalon Management.

Herring has already published two editions through indie Go Faster Stripe. Sphere says their edition will be the largest volume yet. It will be published as a “highly giftable” hardback with illustrations on October 4.

Herring said: “I am so excited that thanks to Sphere non-fiction my ridiculous, childish and occasionally accidentally deeply philosophical questions will be reaching a wider audience. I hope that it will lead to conversations between strangers on buses, successful first dates and ultimately world peace. But at the very least make your gran laugh ‘til her false teeth pop out on Boxing Day.”

More here.

Pre-order here.