Random House Announces Global Acquisition Of Rod Stewart’s Autobiography

Wrecked hotel rooms, wild parties, sex and alcohol – in his 50-year career in music, Rod Stewart has fully lived up to the image of a true rock-and-roll star. With his soulful and singular voice, narrative songwriting and passionate live performances, Rod Stewart has paved one of the most iconic and successful musical careers of all time. After more than five decades at its pinnacle, he is finally ready to take a candid and romping look back at his life both on and off the stage – in an autobiography to which the Random House Group UK and Random House, Inc. in the U.S. have jointly secured the worldwide rights.

The deal was struck by Gail Rebuck, Chairman and Chief Executive of The Random House Group, and Susan Sandon, Managing Director of Cornerstone Publishing in the UK, and Tina Constable, Senior Vice President and Publisher, Crown Archetype in the US, with Arnold Stiefel of Stiefel Entertainment.

Random House announced that Century will be publishing the as yet-untitled book in the U.K., and Crown Archetype will publish it in the U.S., in October 2012. From his humble British roots – to his hell-raising years touring with the trailblazing bands ‘The Jeff Beck Group’ and ‘The Faces’, not forgetting his great loves (including three marriages and eight children) and decades touring the world as a solo performer, Stewart’s autobiography promises readers a riveting ride through one of Rock’s most remarkable lives.

Commenting on the book, Rod Stewart says, ‘I thought long and hard before committing to write my book. It is a funny old thing telling my life story but I truly intend to hold nothing back. I’ve had quite a life, known some extraordinary people and had some amazing experiences. I’ve waited all this time, until my 50th year in the business and realize I can no longer put it off. Forget skeletons in the closet; this one’s going to be socks and knickers under the bed.“ His manager Arnold Stiefel adds: “For more than 20 years publishers have pursued me to convince Rod to write his autobiography; however he didn’t feel the moment was right and as I learned long ago, he is the master of timing and that time is now. At long last Rod is ready to put pen to paper and Random House, legendary, fabled and never less than relevant, is the ideal publisher. “

“Rod Stewart is one of a small number of musicians who truly deserve the title of rock ’n’ roll legend – a truly iconic figure whose life story will fascinate readers and music fans around the world,” comments Sandon. And Constable says: “From his early days with The Jeff Beck Group and The Faces to the present day, Rod Stewart has won the deep affection of generations of fans around the world. They will be thrilled that he is finally ready to recount his remarkable and uniquely colorful life and career in his own words and inimitable style.”

Rod Stewart is a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Grammy Living Legend and in 2007 was bestowed the prestigious CBE (Commander of The British Empire). In 2011, he kicked off a two-year residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas joining a shortlist of elite musical superstars with the international drawing power to headline the Colosseum. He has garnered an estimated 250 million in album and single sales with hit songs including: ‘Maggie May’, ‘Tonight’s the Night’, ‘Hot Legs’, ‘Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?’, ‘Young Turks’, ‘Rhythm of My Heart’, ‘Stay With Me’, ‘Mandolin Wind’, ‘You Wear It Well’, and many more.

The book will be published simultaneously in October 2012 by Century in the U.K. and Crown Archetype in the U.S. in hardcover, e-book and audio formats. Random House UK will represent foreign right sales. “‘I’ve always loved Rod’s work,“ says Jack Fogg, Editorial Director at Century, who will edit and publish the book in the U.K. “From the age of five, listening to him in the car, through my teens, trying (and failing) to emulate his coolness, and on to the present day, where my appreciation for him grows ever stronger. Simply put, he is a legend, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be publishing his memoir.“ Suzanne O’Neill, Senior Editor at Crown Archetype, will edit the book in the U.S.

As for the wrecked hotel rooms mentioned at the beginning of this article: During Rod Stewart’s time with The Faces, of which Ron Wood, later a guitarist with the Rolling Stones, was also a member, the Holiday Inn chain of hotels refused to accept reservations by the band. So Stewart sometimes reserved rooms using the names of his famous Fleetwood Mac colleagues. Nor did the band members necessarily limit themselves to throwing furniture out the window – sometimes they would instead pile it in the elevator and send it down to the lobby.