v Bolton, where he's from, all the old girls were going up to him for autographs.' Khan is the latest high profile signing by Bloomsbury, which has also recently struck lucrative deals with David Blunkett, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Germaine Greer. It moved into pop music with a seemingly extravagant 1m fee for the autobiography of former Take That star Gary Barlow, and will now expand into sport with Khan. Mike Jones, senior editor at Bloomsbury, said: 'He is a role model and, for his 19 years, he bears it very well indeed. His appeal is enormous, and crosses generational, cultural and racial divides.' But Joel Rickett, deputy editor of the Bookseller, said that young memoirists were not always the most successful. 'The bestsellers last year were by people over 50, for example John Peel, Alan Bennett and Sharon Osborne, who had an incredible life before she became famous. A young person's life story is a harder sell, but if it's kept lively and short it can succeed.' Lives in brief: memoirs of young stars Charlotte Church My Life So Far (Time Warner, 2001) Age at publication: 15 Ghostwriter: Jemima Hunt Advance: 800,000 Incidentally: Her sacked manager was airbrushed from the book. Has signed a six-figure deal to write a new book. Memorable line: 'I was born, so Mum tells me, on February 21, 1986... I believe her since she was there.' Katie Price Being Jordan (John Blake, 2004) Age at publication: 25 Ghostwriter: Rebecca Farnworth Advance: 10,000 Incidentally: Sold over