HarperCollins secures world Agatha Christie rights

The Bookseller- 15.09.10 - Graeme Neill

HarperCollins has signed a deal with the estate of Agatha Christie to become the crime author's exclusive worldwide English language publisher.

The deal, signed for a seven figure sum and announced this morning on the 120th anniversary of her birth, secures all global publishing rights, including digital and audio formats, to the publisher for the next 10 years. Previously Penguin and St Martin's Press had been publishing Christie in the US. Collins has published Agatha Christie since The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was first published in 1926.

Brian Murray, president and c.e.o., HarperCollins Worldwide, said: "Agatha Christie Ltd and HarperCollins have worked together to build her into one of world’s bestselling authors. In the last ten years alone, we have doubled her sales across the globe and have catapulted her to a top-ten English language author in India, a market where we believe, she can only continue to grow. This new deal will enable us to take the brand to even greater heights in the decades ahead."

Victoria Barnsley, c.e.o. and publisher, HarperCollins UK and International, said: "Agatha Christie has now become a global brand, embodying a certain quintessentially British style. In this the 120th year since her birth, in a rapidly changing world, we are keen to publish her work in all formats, everywhere in the globe, to consolidate her position as the world’s most popular author."

HarperCollins repackaged its Christie backlist in the UK two years ago so an immediate refresh is unlikely. However, the publisher aims to redesign its backlist for the US market for spring 2011.
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