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4th July 2009

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Headline lands Prescott punch

17.08.07 Joel Rickett

Headline is promising a no-holds-barred memoir from John Prescott after signing the former deputy prime minister for around £300,000. The news follows yesterday's Bookseller exclusive that former prime minister Tony Blair had recruited US lawyer Robert Barnett to handle a deal for his memoirs.

Headline said "nothing will be off-limits" when Prezza: Pulling No Punches is released next June. Editorial director David Wilson, who is pitching the memoir as an entertaining story with mass appeal rather than a serious political tome, is believed to have paid around £300,000 for UK, Commonwealth and serial rights to the book, via agent Robert Kirby of PFD. It will be ghostwritten by Hunter Davies, who wrote the Paul Gascoigne and Wayne Rooney books.

Headline said that unlike Alastair Campbell, who edited his diaries to remove damaging references to Blair and Gordon Brown, Prescott will give "explosive" details of the pair's dealings. He will also discuss his affair with his diary secretary—in contrast to David Blunkett, who refused to write about his personal life. Prescott said: "I'll tell the truth—without the spin." Headline deputy m.d. Kerr MacRae added: "Stuffy political guff this ain't. We are looking for big numbers on this to match the big story."

Davies said that Prescott's life story--from ocean liner steward to union activist to the centre of power--was fertile ground: "I don't think we'll see someone from his background rise so high in politics ever again. I've done Gazza and Wazza [Rooney]—now it's Prezza."

The Prescott deal would be dwarfed by the Blair book--new estimates set the latter's pricetag at £8m for world and serial rights, a record if achieved.

You can read Joel Rickett's analysis of this deal, and comment, on the News Blog.

Joel Rickett Rights deal headline John Prescott