Bob Geldof Signs Book Deal with Random House

By James Wray Mar 29, 2005, 13:51 GMT

Random House has acquired world rights to a new book by Bob Geldof.

The singer has penned the novel to tie-in with transmission of the recently announced six part BBC1 series, "Geldof In Africa."

"Geldof In Africa" will be a highly illustrated book following Geldof's travels through the continent and giving his unique take on its culture and peoples. Provocative, informative and endlessly entertaining, the book will accompany the prime-time TV series which is at the center of the BBC's season of programmes devoted to bringing the color and contradictions of African life to UK audiences.

Geldof comments "Africa has the lot - vast seas of sand, tropical jungles, equatorial rainforest. And within this immense continent more peoples, more languages, more cultures, more animals than anywhere else on our world. It is quite simply the most extraordinary, beautiful and luminous place on our planet."

It seems the deal sprung from a conversation between Susan Sandon, Publisher of the CHA Division at Random House, and Geldof at the London launch party for President Clinton's memoirs in July last year.

Century will publish the book June this year. The deal also includes publication of an updated edition of the rock stars’ autobiography "Is That It?," this autumn.