Biteback Publishing has acquired the authorised biography of distinguished entrepreneur Denis Lynn, written by Jago Pearson.
Denis Lynn was one of the pre-eminent entrepreneurs of his generation. Named by Rick Stein as one of Britain’s food heroes, supplier to Heston Blumenthal’s acclaimed Fat Duck, Marks & Spencer and, in time, every other British supermarket, Lynn built his Finnebrogue business into one of the flag-bearers of the country’s food industry, a pioneer in a period during which the UK truly became a nation of foodies. Lynn’s astonishing success thrust him onto the front pages and his products into nigh on every kitchen table in the land.
Named entrepreneur of the year in 2019 by the Institute of Directors, Lynn was described as an iconoclast with a fearlessness in the face of convention by industry bible The Grocer. His life was more than six decades of high drama, from a childhood in the backstreets of Belfast at the beginning of the Troubles, blighted by family tragedy and personal strife, to the travails of a self-made multi-millionaire with an uncomfortable tolerance for risk and a helter-skelter life lived on the edge. Eventually, a tragic event one Sunday evening on his beloved County Down estate brought an untimely conclusion to one of Northern Ireland’s most noteworthy success stories.
King Charles III heralded Lynn’s ‘great legacy’ upon his death. The newscaster Dermot Murnaghan, a school friend of Lynn’s, remembers the ‘waif and stray’ teenager as he was before bulldozing his way into the big time. From hundreds of hours of interviews with those who loved and loathed him, as well as the intimate personal recollections of working alongside him, Jago Pearson will tell Denis Lynn’s extraordinary tale in this authorised biography, Running Out of Time.
Jago Pearson was Chief Strategy Officer at Denis Lynn’s company Finnebrogue from 2018 to 2024 and continues to sit on the company’s board as a non-executive director. He was formerly a public relations executive and political adviser. Running Out of Time will be his debut book.
Olivia Beattie, Editorial Director at Biteback, acquired world rights direct from the author.
Pearson said: ‘I am delighted to have been entrusted by the Lynn family to tell this jaw-dropping tale, warts and all, and to be working with a publisher of the calibre and reputation of Biteback. It was exhilarating working alongside Denis Lynn and it’s now both a great privilege and a great responsibility to document his six decades of personal and professional drama.’
Beattie said: ‘From the opening lines, Jago’s vivid, immediate prose packs a tremendous narrative punch. There’s no one better placed to tell the story of one of our most remarkable and maverick businessmen. From near bankruptcy to entrepreneurial powerhouse, this is a story of ingenuity and determination, innovation and risk taking, and Biteback are delighted to be putting it into readers’ hands.’
Running Out of Time will be published in 2026, supported by a major marketing and publicity campaign.
Price: £20 hardback
ISBN: 9781785909467