Bob's Books

Bob Dylan signs six-book deal
Agreement with publisher Simon & Schuster promises two further volumes of autobiography to follow 2004's Chronicles

Benedicte Page
guardian.co.uk
Wednesday 19 January 2011

Bob Dylan has signed a deal to write six more books for his publisher Simon & Schuster, including two works of autobiography to follow Chronicles: Volume One, the highly-praised memoir of his early years published in 2004.

The prospect of further Dylan memoirs will create great anticipation even though publication date remains tantalisingly unconfirmed. Fans have been agog since Simon & Schuster revealed in 2008 that Dylan had begun work on the next book.

Waterstone's spokesperson Jon Howells said it was "hugely exciting for any Bob Dylan fan and for any aficionado of rock history" to hear that two more books of memoir were definitely on their way. "Chronicles set a new standard in what people expected from a rock'n'roll autobiography, and was a revelation," he said. "No one expected him to be so open, and the writing was completely in his voice, and essential reading. Another volume is great, two more is fabulous news."

Another book in the new deal is said to be a collection of Dylan's musings from the Theme Time Radio Hour show he presents on the Sirius XM satellite channel, syndicated to BBC 6Music. No details have been released on the remaining titles. Chronicles: Volume One charted Dylan's arrival – as Robert Zimmerman – in New York City in 1962 and the recording of his first album. It was greeted rapturously on publication, praised for its exceptional intimacy and eloquence and forgiven for its often meandering narrative. Critics compared the book to discovering the lost diaries of Shakespeare, and claimed it should take its place alongside Jack Kerouac's beat classic On the Road as a record of an American artist encountering his destiny. It went on to become a major hit, spending 19 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.

However, Dylan's publisher has suffered a hiccup in obtaining a follow-up. Hannah Corbett, a spokeswoman for S&S, said the initial arrangement with Dylan had been made on "shifting sands", with the singer-songwriter "very hard to pin down" on how many books he wanted to write. Literary agent Andrew Wylie – known as "the Jackal" for his feral approach to publishing deals – has since come to represent Dylan, and US publication Crain's New York Business reported that Wylie "spent months trying to drum up interest in the project among other publishers despite Simon & Schuster's insistence that it had the rights to any Chronicles sequels," maintaining however that "no house would bite because of the potential for a lawsuit."

The Wylie Agency could not be reached for comment.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/jan/19/bob-dylan-six-book-deal?INTCMP=SRCH