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Beautiful Books has acquired the latest book by film director, artist and writer John Waters.
Publisher Simon Petherick bought UK and Commonwealth rights to Role Models from Cathryn Summerhayes on behalf of Bill Clegg at WME, and will publish this December.
Beautiful Books described it as a self-portrait told through intimate and literary profiles of Waters' favourite personalities, both famous and unknown. Johnny Mathis, St Catherine of Siena, novelist Denton Welch, ex-Manson follower Leslie van Houten, lesbian stripper Lady Zorro and pornographers Bobby Garcia and David Hurles are among those included in the book.
Petherick said: "This is the kind of non-fiction book we love to publish: it's stylish, intelligent and the work of an artist who has proved his significance and importance within his field.
"Like other artists and cultural commentators that we publish—Bill Drummond, for example, or Vitali Vitaliev—John Waters demonstrates that he is an artful and skilful writer who can use the written word to enlarge upon the work he has already achieved as a filmmaker and visual artist.
"He already has a loyal following within the UK, and we're thrilled that he's agreed to come over for a week to appear on TV and at the South Bank for a major event in his honour.
"Rather like the England football team, the celebrity book is proving to be a bit of a paper tiger and it's the work of genuine artists which we believe will sustain the long-term sales within publishing."