Frankfurt falls at Mandela's feet, US rights sold
15.10.09 The Bookselller

"Virtually every major territory" was bidding for the hottest book in Frankfurt, Nelson Mandela's private diaries. US rights were sold on Wednesday afternoon (14th) to Jonathan Galassi at Macmillan US' Farrar, Straus and Giroux via Sloan Harris at ICM, with deals also in Portugal, France and Denmark, auctions in Brazil, Sweden and Holland and offers in from Germany, Israel and Italy.
Jonny Geller at Curtis Brown sold UK rights to Pan Macmillan on the eve of the fair after a "select auction". Geller said: "It's unbelievable. Virtually every major territory is bidding at the moment—it's all happening."
Conversations with Myself brings together Mandela's unseen diaries, letters, and personal thoughts throughout his life, including his 27 years of imprisonment on Robben Island. The book is due for publication in 2010.
"What is so amazing is that he wrote virtually every day of his life and kept all his notes," said Geller. "The book shows the personal side of this icon, his amazing humanity and wisdom."

Geller is handling worldwide rights to the book on behalf of New Zealand-based packager PQ Blackwell, a previous publisher of Mandela, who approached Geller to agent the book after Mandela bestowed his entire archive to the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
The Bookseller Daily at Frankfurt Day Two