HarperCollins Acquires Jeffrey Archer in Major Three-Book Deal

HarperCollins is delighted to announce a major three-book deal for World English Rights with internationally bestselling author Jeffrey Archer. The deal was negotiated by CEO Charlie Redmayne, Managing Director Kate Elton, and Executive Publisher Kimberley Young, with James Archer and Alan Mitchell from Mitchell Rights Management. Publication in the United States will be coordinated by HarperCollins 360, the US division of the company’s global English-language publishing program, headed by Affiliate Publisher Jean Marie Kelly.

Over the course of his career, spanning nearly fifty years, Archer has published over 37 titles and sold over 275 million copies around the world. Jeffrey’s books have been published in 97 countries and more than 33 languages, including here in the US where he is a #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author.

He has had 27 Sunday Times number one bestsellers. He is the only UK author ever to have been a number one best seller in fiction (20 times), short stories (4 times) and non-fiction (Prison Diaries).

OVER MY DEAD BODY is part of the internationally bestselling William Warwick series and will be the first to be published by HarperCollins simultaneously across our English language markets with fanfare in autumn 2021.

Charlie Redmayne said: ‘I’ve been a fan of Jeffrey Archer since first reading Kane and Abel, and it has been a constant irritation that my tenure at HarperCollins started after his fantastic run of books with us in the 1990s. I am delighted that the situation will now be rectified as he returns to us, his ambition to entertain his readers as strong as ever and with many incredible stories to tell.’

Kate Elton said: ’Jeffrey Archer is, quite simply, one of the world’s greatest storytellers. He combines sheer unputdownable pace with a cleverness and intricacy of plotting that is rarely matched, and the hundreds of millions of copies he’s sold around the world are a monumental testament to his skill. It is a huge privilege to be working with him.’

Kimberley Young says: ‘A key part of the HarperFiction strategy is to add to our roster of blockbuster authors. 2020 saw us deliver a record number of #1s, and the opportunity to work with Jeffrey Archer, who is a #1 bestseller and a legendary storyteller – feels like the perfect match. We are thrilled he is making a home at HarperFiction.

Jean Marie Kelly said: ‘We are thrilled HarperCollins 360 is part of the global coordinated simultaneous release of a new title from this iconic author. We are excited to work hand-in-hand with our colleagues to bring OVER MY DEAD BODY to Jeffrey Archer’s many fans in the US.’

Jeffrey Archer said: ‘I’ve had eighteen wonderful years with Pan Macmillan, whose outstanding team I’ve been proud to work with. However, after completing my contract with them, I am delighted and excited to be returning to HarperCollins, who successfully published me for so many years. I’m looking forward to them joining me on William Warwick’s next stage of his journey, from inspector to commissioner.’

Please contact Alex Serrano, Publicity Manager at HarperCollins 360 with any additional inquiries. alex.serrano@harpercollins.com

About HARPERCOLLINS UK:
HarperCollins UK is a division of HarperCollins Publishers, the second largest consumer book publisher in the world, with operations in 17 countries, and was named Publisher of the Year at the British Book Awards 2018. With over two hundred years of history and more than 120 unique imprints around the world, HarperCollins publishes approximately 10,000 new books every year, in 16 languages, and has a print and digital catalogue of more than 200,000 titles. Writing across dozens of genres, HarperCollins authors include winners of the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the Newbery and Caldecott Medals and the Man Booker Prize. HarperCollins UK has offices in London, Glasgow, Honley and Manchester, and can be found online at www.harpercollins.co.uk.

About HARPERCOLLINS 360:
HarperCollins 360 is HarperCollins’ global publishing program, publishing books in English from HarperCollins UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and India offices and books in Spanish from HarperCollins Iberica and Mexico offices. We publish all genres of adult, children’s and YA books in all formats—print, ebook, and digital audio.