Weidenfeld & Nicolson Acquires The Unpublished Stories Of Elmore Leonard

Press Release

Weidenfeld & Nicolson and The Orion Publishing Group are delighted to announce they have acquired a collection of fifteen unpublished stories by Elmore Leonard.

Sophie Buchan at Weidenfeld & Nicolson bought UK & Commonwealth rights from Stephanie Derbyshire at the Wylie Agency. The Unpublished Stories are scheduled for publication in Autumn 2015, with HarperCollins publishing in America.

When Elmore Leonard passed away last year, he left behind a 60-year legacy of crime novels which transcended genre fiction. He also left behind a trove of unpublished early stories. Largely written during his years as a copywriter at a Detroit advertising agency, these stories find Leonard exploring far-flung locations – from the bars of small-town New Mexico to a military base in Kuala Lumpur – and unforgettable characters, several of whom recur in his published work. With razor-sharp dialogue and headlong pacing, these stories reveal a master who honed his craft from a very young age.

Sophie Buchan, Commissioning Editor at Weidenfeld & Nicolson says: 'I didn't think I'd ever have the chance to read original Leonard fiction again. And it's wonderful to be wrong about that. Leonard wrote dialogue like a screenwriter; could build a character you can picture in just a few lines. And it's astonishing that, so early in his career, these gifts are already on display. This collection reminds us why Leonard is so sorely missed.'

Elmore Leonard was born in New Orleans on 11 October 1925. He wrote 45 books during his phenomenal career, including the bestsellers Mr Paradise, Tishomingo Blues, Be Cool and The Hot Kid. Many have been made into successful movies, including Get Shorty with John Travolta, Out of Sight with George Clooney and Rum Punch, which became Tarantino's Jackie Brown. He is the recipient of the Cartier Diamond Dagger Award and the PEN USA Lifetime Achievement Award. He died on 20 August 2013 in Detroit. The latest film based on his work, Life of Crime (inspired by The Switch) is out in September.