Serena Williams to serve up memoir in 2009
September 16, 2008 by jane
Filed under Book Club, Pretty Smart, Profiles, Serena Williams, Tennis
September 16, 2008 – Serena Williams’ literary agent did not wait around very long after Williams won the US Open to go out with the proposal for the tennis star’s memoir.
The Associated Press is reporting that Ms. Williams scored a seven figure advance from Hachette Book Group’s Grand Central Publishing division after several publishers bid on the book in a publicity-generating auction orchestrated by William Morris.
Financial terms for the book were not disclosed, although the AP story indicates that the bidding reached at least $1.3 million.
Add that to the $1.5 million Serena received for winning the U.S. Open last week and it’s shaping up to be a pretty good month!
“Serena Williams is one of the world’s most remarkable athletes,” Grand Central editor Karen Kosztolnyik said Tuesday in a statement. “We’ve watched her rise to No. 1 despite physical and emotional setbacks, and her hard work and determination have inspired legions of fans young and old. Serena will give her memoir a strong motivational slant.”
Williams, 26, has won nine Grand Slam titles and, with sister Venus Williams, won a gold medal in women’s doubles at the recent Olympics in Beijing. She is renowned for her strength on court as well as her colorful outfits.
With a long career still hopefully ahead of her, it may be a tad early for a memoir. Still, we’re looking forward to reading it. The still untitled book is scheduled to be released in 2009.
Will you add it to your reading list?
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Check out what others are saying about this post...[...] Fab Serena just returned from Africa with news of her charitable work with B.A.S. (Build African Schools). Together they opened a secondary school named after her in the village of Matooni, about 70 miles southeast of Nairobi, Kenya, with state-of-the-art solar panels for power and computers donated from Hewlett-Packard. Her credo? ‘To whom much is given, much is required.’ Good for you, girl. Can’t wait to see what 2009 brings (besides your memoir). [...]