HarperCollins has announced 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.

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. Archer’s books have been published in 97 countries and more than 33 languages. 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 (four 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 their English language markets, including South Africa, during spring 2021.

Eugene Ashton, CEO of Jonathan Ball Publishers, said: ‘We are delighted by Jeffrey Archer’s return to HarperCollins. South Africa has always been an excellent market for his books and Jonathan Ball has previously looked after them and so it is as if things have come full circle. Archer is simply one of the world’s best and we look forward to selling many more of his books.’

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.’

Jeffrey Archer said: ‘I’ve had 18 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.’

Categories Fiction International

Tags Jeffrey Archer Jonathan Ball Publishers News Over My Dead Body