Penguin Random House has signed a global deal for the autobiography of musician Phil Collins, with Tricia Boczkowski buying for Crown U.S. and Ben Dunn buying for Century U.K. The agent is Jonny Geller of Curtis Brown. Publication will be in fall 2016.
Collins is one of only three recording artists to sell over 100 million albums both as a solo artist and as a member of a band (Genesis). He has won an Academy Award, seven Grammy Awards and six Brit Awards, and was named a Disney Legend for his work on Tarzan.
Boczkowski said: "As one of the world's most successful recording artists, Phil Collins's music has spanned generations and been the soundtrack to so many of our lives. Unflinchingly honest, his memoir will surprise readers with its candor and vulnerability, showing the world a Phil Collins that not many people know."
Collins said, unsurprisingly, that he had received several approaches about a potential autobiography over the past few years. "But [I] never felt that the time was right - until now. Having found the right publisher in Penguin Random House I am ready to go on record about my life in music with all the highs and all the lows and to tell the story from my point of view - warts and all!"
A version of this article first appeared in the U.K.'s BookBrunch.
