Peter Stoneman
Peter Stoneman
Peter Stoneman, seated, looking just past the camera, a wall of records behind him.

Peter Stoneman

Books about music.

And some other things probably.

Email for availability

Freelance writer. Ghost writer. Collaborator. Writing partner. Editor. Manuscript fixer-upper.

The work behind the name on the cover.

Trusted UK-based author, collaborator, autodidact, music lover.

Former peripheral music industry nobody. Biographies, collabs, rewrites.

“A supremely gifted writer of both fiction and non-fiction, and as a ghostwriter, he has the innate ability to inhabit his subjects with ease.”

Pete SelbyManaging Director, New Modern Books

Coming soon

Writer and consulting editor

Fantastic Days

My Autobiography. With Nick Heyward.

Published 5 November 2026
New Modern Books

Other recent projects

Four books, still warm from the press.

Writer and development editor

The Other Side of the Dream

My Life In and Out of Blondie. Clem Burke.

Published 7 May 2026
Harper Collins UK / Hachette US

Press

  • Mojo

    4 out of 5 stars

    Lovingly chronicles grimy mid-’70s New York… astutely traces Blondie’s thrilling rise and ‘pop art’ aesthetic.

  • Classic Pop Magazine

    4 out of 5 stars

    Vivid prose that bursts with cheeky nonchalance and an irrepressible jubilance.

  • The Telegraph

    A vivid portrait of rock’s unapologetically messy glory days in the 1970s and 1980s, with so much detail, you wonder how he remembered it all… its only negative is that he won’t be around to read all the glowing reviews.

  • Daily Express

    This fabulous posthumous memoir zips along like one of Burke’s signature drum patterns.

  • The i Paper

    Offers a backstage pass to a life lived fully as a rock hero.

Development editor

Failure is Always an Option

Glorious Adventures on The Beta Band Front Line and Other Tales. Steve Mason.

Published 23 April 2026
New Modern Books

Press

  • Mojo

    4 out of 5 stars
  • Classic Pop Magazine

    4 out of 5 stars
  • Record Collector

    4 out of 5 stars

    Painfully honest, hilarious and frankly uplifting.

  • Louder Than War

    A heartwarming, honest and entertaining read.

Writer

Mania

Tartan, Turmoil and My Life as a Bay City Roller. With Stuart Wood.

Published 19 June 2025
Blink / Bonnier

Writer

Triggers

A Life in Music. With Glen Matlock.

Published 12 October 2023
Blink / Bonnier

Press

  • Mojo

    4 out of 5 stars
  • Debbie Harry

    Triggers is a brilliant journey.

  • Louder Than War

    The clearest view yet of punk, ’70s Britain and the maelstrom of the Pistols. By a man who was there, front and centre to it all.

Testimonials

Publishers, on the record.

Peter Stoneman is a reliable, conscientious, and talented creative. He is a supremely gifted writer of both fiction and non-fiction, and as a ghostwriter he has the innate ability to inhabit his subjects with deft and ease. Highly recommended.


Pete SelbyManaging Director, New Modern Books / Former Publishing Editor, Nine Eight Books / Bonnier Books UK

I have worked with Peter on a number of projects in recent years and it is always a pleasure. He is an exceptional writer and he goes above and beyond for each and every title that he works on. He is tireless when it comes to meeting stringent deadlines and his work is always of the highest possible standard. He is a consummate professional and a devoted and sensitive collaborator with each and every one of his subjects and writing partners. I highly recommended him for all your ghostwriting needs.


James LilfordPublishing Director, New Modern Books

Peter Stoneman goes above and beyond on every editorial project. He is a thorough and thoughtful non-fiction fact-checker who has worked across a range and variety of subject matters and writing styles for me, always with ease, accuracy and punctuality. Every editorial point he flags, whether relating to content and detail or structure and style, is invaluable, as is his reliability and versatility.


Melissa BondSenior Editor, Nine Eight Books / Bonnier Books UK

Posts from the “drownded” Blog

The blog

The Ballad of William Shears

Everyone calls me Paul these days, but my name is William Shears.

Twenty Years Ago. Maybe More. Maybe Less. Inside the M25.

Outside my window, the tree line is peppered with bright-coloured parakeets, picked out against the grey sky.

The New New Guy.

The worker bees only knew something had gone sideways when Director Hakiro broke with protocol.

Peter Stoneman interviewing Glen Matlock on stage beside a grand piano, with an audience in the foreground.
A Slice of Vinyl, Gosport. 11 October 2023.

Events

An evening with Glen Matlock.

11 October 2023. A Slice of Vinyl hosted an intimate evening with Glen Matlock in Gosport. Interviewed by Peter Stoneman, Glen discussed his career in music before performing a live acoustic set.

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