News

Philippa Gregory, the international bestselling author of The Other Boleyn Girl and The Boleyn Inheritance,  has signed a three book global publishing deal with Touchstone and Simon & Schuster. The deal includes all world rights, including translation and audio.

Worldwide simultaneous English language publication of the first book, tentatively titled The White Queen , by Touchstone, Simon & Schuster UK, Simon & Schuster Canada, and Simon & Schuster Australia and New Zealand will take place in 2010.

The book will be also be available on compact disc and digital download from Simon & Schuster Audio.

Touchstone has been Ms Gregory's US publisher since the publication of The Other Boleyn Girl in 2002 . Ms Gregory was previously published in the UK and Commonwealth countries by HarperCollins.

Philippa comments: “My success in the UK with Harper Collins has been tremendous and I will continue to publish with them over the next few years. Out in May in paperback is The Boleyn Inheritance, and next Spring I will be publishing my new novel with them, called The Other Queen, the story of Mary Queen of Scots. They will also publish a UK edition of The Other Boleyn Girl to come out with the film. I am very grateful to Harper Collins for their support and encouragement over the many years that I have been with them.”

Touchstone Vice President and Editor-in-Chief Trish Todd negotiated the deal with Anthony Mason, who represented Ms Gregory. Suzanne Baboneau, Publishing Director of S&S UK, will join Ms Todd going forward in editing the author. The three books in the agreement will cover the War of the Roses period. The second and third books are tentatively titled The White Princess and The Red Queen.

“I am very excited about being published worldwide by one publisher and I am sure Simon & Schuster will be a good partner and colleague in this ambitious venture,” commented Ms Gregory. “We have had such success in the US that I have every confidence in them.”

“Over the past few years it has been a pure pleasure to publish Philippa Gregory, the reigning queen of historical fiction,” said Mark Gompertz Executive Vice President, Publisher Touchstone Fireside, “and to be part of her growth from trade paperback original to well-deserved hardcover bestseller.  We are thrilled for the opportunity to build on that track record here in the US and now in a coordinated international campaign with our Simon & Schuster colleagues all around the world.”

“We could not be more delighted that Philippa Gregory has decided to be published globally by Simon & Schuster.   This is a tremendously exciting opportunity for us in the UK and our other Commonwealth markets to work closely with our colleagues in the US to exploit even further the potential of this remarkable author,” said Ian S. Chapman, Managing Director, Simon & Schuster UK.

“We are looking forward to broadening the already well established audience for Philippa Gregory in Canada and contributing with our colleagues around the world to what will be an international publishing event,” said Kevin Hanson, President, Simon & Schuster , Canada .

Jon Attenborough, Managing Director for Simon & Schuster Australia and New Zealand , commented that, “we are absolutely thrilled to be her publisher and look forward to Philippa touring our countries.”

The Other Boleyn Girl, Ms Gregory's most famous and beloved book, has been adapted for film by Sony Pictures and is scheduled for a major release in the US on December 21, 2007. It stars Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman and Eric Bana.

The paperback of her most recent book, the New York Times bestseller, The Boleyn Inheritance, is scheduled for release in trade paperback in the US in August. Other bestsellers by Ms. Gregory include The Queen's Fool, The Constant Princess, and her series of books known as The Wideacre Trilogy.

It is estimated that Ms Gregory has over 3,500,000 copies of her books in print in the US .