(New York — March 19, 2009) Former President George W. Bush has reached agreement with Crown, an imprint of Random House, Inc.’s Crown Publishing Group, to author a book that will focus on the defining decisions he has made in his personal and political life. The acquisition was announced today by Tina Constable, Vice President, Publisher, Crown Publishers.
Stephen Rubin, Executive Vice President and Publisher at Large for Random House, brought in and negotiated the exclusive submission on Crown’s behalf. Mr. Rubin acquired world, audio, electronic, and first and second serial rights from Robert Barnett of Williams & Connolly, who represented President Bush. The book is scheduled for publication in the fall of 2010 and will be edited by Sean Desmond, Senior Editor at Crown. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Tentatively titled “Decision Points,” the book will not be a conventional memoir, but instead will focus exclusively on approximately a dozen of the most interesting and important decisions in the former President’s personal and political life. Mr. Bush will write candidly about, among other topics, his decision to run for the presidency; how he chose his closest advisors, including Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, and Condoleezza Rice; the terrorist attacks of 9/11; the decisions to send American troops to Afghanistan and Iraq; the response to Hurricane Katrina; his commitment to fight AIDS around the world; the formation of his stem cell research policy; his relationships with his father, mother, siblings, and wife; his decision to quit drinking; and how he found faith. The former President will write the book himself, with the assistance of researchers, and has already commenced the writing process.
“My goal is to bring the reader inside the Oval Office for the most consequential moments of my personal and political life. I look forward to painting a vivid picture of the information I had, the principles I followed, and the decisions I made. I am spending time on the book every day, and I am thrilled to be working with the team at Crown,” said the former President.
Jenny Frost, President & Publisher of The Crown Publishing Group, said, “President Bush is writing a different kind of book. He will tell the true story behind the tough decisions he made, based on the information and advice he had available at the time. His book will shed new light on the realities of his administration and the principles that guided his presidency, while giving us a new understanding of his role in American history.”
The parent company of Random House, Inc. is Bertelsmann AG.