Sourcebooks has acquired U.S. rights to the political thriller novel House of Cards by Michael Dobbs, a former chief of staff at the British Conservative party headquarters who once served as an advisor to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
The novel, initially released in 1989 in the U.K., inspired the popular Netflix series starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright about a U.S. Congressman (Spacey) who collaborates with his wife (Wright) to exact revenge on his enemies. Dobbs has rewritten some passages as well as the ending and updated the dialogue for this new edition, which is being released in digital format (for $9.99) today and in trade paperback ($14.99) on March 11 with a 50,000-copy print run. The second season of the Netflix series is premiering on Friday.
Sourcebooks acquired House of Cards in January and fast-tracked the project, senior publicity manager Heather Moore explained. It has published books by Dobbs previously: Never Surrender, Churchill's Triumph, Churchill's Hour, and Winston's War.
Dobbs wrote two sequels to House of Cards: To Play the King in 1992 and The Final Cut in 1994. Sourcebooks will release them at a later date . "I'm incredibly excited to finally bring the series to the states," Dobbs said.
As great as the series is, it’s an even better book – intense, surprising, and loaded with political intrigue. We’re thrilled to be bringing it to the U.S., said Todd Stocke, v-p editorial director at Sourcebooks.
