Caitlin Moran Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

About Caitlin Moran

A British writer who’s been active for a number of years now, Caitlin Moran speaks and writes on numerous different issues. Largely known for writing biographies and memoirs with a humorous tone, she voices herself on topics ranging from gender, through to class and society. An outspoken feminist, she has established herself as an author with her own idiosyncratic brand, becoming a familiar face and personality. Regularly seen on both television and in print, she’s also opined for several different columns in the past, along articles as well.

Beginning her career as a music journalist at the age of just sixteen, she would feature on television shows at eighteen. Working as a TV critic herself, she would write regularly for publications including The Times, making a name for herself. Over time her work in the media would turn towards writing books of her own, with many of them becoming bestsellers in their own right. Initially focusing on non-fiction writing about her own life, she would also go on to write works of fiction as well.

Her writing has gone on to reach a global audience, with readers from all over the world now recognizing her name. Using her own experiences to help inspire, she often writes from her own perspective, with many of the characters reflecting people from her own life. Much of her work also discusses subjects that are close to her, as she continues to write and publish in a range of different publications. With lots more to come still, she has plenty more titles planned for release in the future, as she’s not stopping any time soon.

Early and Personal Life

Born in Brighton in the United Kingdom on the 5th of April in 1975, Catherine Elizabeth Moran aka Caitlin Moran would grow up in Wolverhampton as the eldest of eight children. With three brothers and four sisters, her father was a psychedelic rock session musician working with many well-known bands throughout the sixties. Home educated from the age of eleven after attending Springdale Junior School, she would seek to become a writer, winning a contest when she was thirteen in 1988 for her essay ‘Why I Like Books.’

Becoming a music journalist at the age of sixteen, she would write for a number of different publications, before moving out at eighteen. Working in television, she would go on to work for Channel Four in 1992, working on the music show ‘Naked City,’ and is now seen as a leading British feminist, becoming a University of Aberystwyth fellow in July 2012. Currently living in Coventry with her husband the rock critic Peter Paphides, they have two children, and she’s a familiar face on Twitter and social-media.

Writing Career

At just sixteen years of age Caitlin Moran would write her first book titled ‘The Chronicles of Narmo,’ and it was published in 1992 being based on her own life. Later in 2011 she would go on to publish ‘How To Be A Woman,’ which would be a non-fiction memoir of her own life, looking at issues of feminism and gender. There would also be the ‘How To Build A Girl’ series, starting with ‘How To Build A Girl’ in 2014, and ‘How To Be Famous’ in 2018, the first of which was adapted for the cinema in 2019, which she wrote the screenplay for.

Publishing various other books too, including ‘Moranifesto’ and ‘More Than A Woman,’ she’s produced a number of fiction and non-fiction work over the years. As well as being commercially successful, she’s also critically acclaimed, winning several awards, such as a ‘British Press Award,’ ‘Cosmopolitan’ awards, and ‘Galaxy National Book Awards,’ to name just a few. Her Twitter feed has also been highly regarded, with it notably becoming part of an A-Level set text for a period of time.

How To Build A Girl

Initially released back in 2014 on the 3rd of July, it would come out through the ‘Ebury Press’ publishing imprint in the UK. Later that year it would be published through ‘HarperCollins’ in the US 23rd of September, as it would fast reach a worldwide audience. The first part in the ‘How To Build A Girl’ series, it would be a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age novel, later followed up with ‘How To Be Famous’ in 2018.

Taking place in 1990, this sees the fourteen year-old Johanna Morrigan reinventing herself as Dolly Wilde, after being heavily shamed on television. Wanting to save her family from poverty, she gets a job as a writer, working for a music paper as a journalist and critic at sixteen. This then leads to her drinking and smoking, while seeing many different men, as she hopes to become the woman she’s always dreamed of being. Can she find out who she really is, where will her journey take her next, and what will become of her as she discovers how to build a girl?

The book itself takes a lot of inspiration from Moran’s own life, using her own experiences as the basis for much of the book. Set within a particular period in the UK as well, it follows life at that time, and what was happening in the world back then. Later adapted into a 2019 film starring Beanie Feldstein in the lead-role, it would reach a large audience worldwide, gaining readers far and wide.

More Than A Woman

First published in 2020, this came out on the 15th of September, and it was released through the ‘Harper Perennial’ label. It’s a stand-alone non-fiction title looking at Caitlin Moran’s own life, and isn’t a part of any long-running book series as such. Providing observations and insights in Moran’s daily life and experiences, it’s grounded firmly in reality, offering a look into her life at a set point in time.

As a memoir and manifesto for women, this non-fiction collection of insights from Moran casts a light on her perspective on being a woman. Taking a look back at her own life, she talks directly about her own experiences, putting them into context for the current times. Discussing feminism and contemporary issues facing women, she looks at subjects like children, body-image, and Botox. Dealing with a wide-range of different subjects, she seeks to understand what drives women, making them who they are in modern society.

It’s a straightforward book covering a lot of ground, and it would become a ‘Good Morning America September Book Pick.’ The book would also go on to become a bestseller, reaching readers both nationally and internationally around the world. Largely focused on her life as a middle-aged woman, Caitlin Moran sets her sights on a number of issues many modern women face.