Disgraced British politician and best-selling novelist Jeffrey Archer, currently serving a four-year jail term for perjury, has struck a multi-million-pound deal to write three books, London newspapers reported on Tuesday.
Archer, who last month failed in a legal bid to appeal against his conviction and have his jail term reduced, has been signed up by Macmillan publishers to write two novels and a collection of short stories, according to The Times and The Guardian.
Archer’s first book as part of the deal is set to be published next year — before his release from prison.
Entitled ”Sons of Fortune”, the novel is said to be a political thriller set in America, tracing the fortunes of twins separated at birth and unaware of each other’s existence.
News of Archer’s deal came as publisher HarperCollins announced it had released the author from his existing contract — after he failed to pen a single word for a three-book deal signed before his
conviction two years ago and worth 11-million pounds.
”It became clear in May 2002 that the contract was to be terminated. Both sides agreed that this was the best way forward,” Archer’s agent Jonathan Lloyd told The Times.
Multi-millionaire writer Archer, a former deputy chairman of Britain’s Conservative Party was found guilty in July 2001 of perjury and perverting the course of justice over his relations with a prostitute.
Archer was convicted on charges relating to his successful 1987 libel trial against the Daily Star tabloid newspaper, which had reported that he had hired a prostitute.
But in November 1999, a friend of his admitted that he had given Archer a false alibi to help him win his defamation case. – Sapa-AFP