Former President Clinton to Publish Memoir With Knopf

Posted on August 8, 2001

The memoirs of former President Bill Clinton will be published by Alfred A. Knopf. The announcement was made by Sonny Mehta, President and Editor-in-Chief of Alfred A. Knopf. The New York Times reported that Knopf paid over $10 million dollars for worldwide rights to publish the book. Alfred A. Knopf is the flagship imprint of the Knopf Publishing Group, which is a division of Random House, Inc., whose parent company is Bertelsmann AG.

The book, a memoir of President Clinton's life through the White House years, will be published in hardcover by Knopf in 2003, and by Vintage Books in trade paperback in 2004. Mr. Mehta acquired world publishing rights to the book -- including pre- and post-publication serial rights, English language and translation rights, and audio and electronic rights -- from Robert B. Barnett of Williams & Connolly in Washington, D.C., who represented Mr. Clinton in the negotiations.

``President Clinton is one of the dominant figures on the global stage,'' said Mr. Mehta. ``He has lived an extraordinary life, and he has a great story to tell. His memoir, one of the most widely anticipated books in memory, will be a thorough and candid telling of his life, with a primary focus on the White House years. It is a distinct honor to be working with him as his publisher.''

Knopf Editor Robert Gottlieb, who has worked with authors including Katharine Graham, Toni Morrison, Robert Caro and Barbara Tuchman, will work with Mr. Clinton as his editor.

``I am very pleased to be associated with the distinguished publishing house of Alfred A. Knopf,'' said Mr. Clinton. ``I look forward to working with Sonny Mehta and Bob Gottlieb, and the rest of their extraordinary team, as I begin writing my memoirs.''