Penguin Random House to publish two books by the ObamasMarch 1, 2017 - 11:15 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Penguin Random House has landed a deal to publish two forthcoming books by former U.S. President Barack Obama and the former first lady, Michelle Obama, with one volume to be written by each, the publishing company said on Tuesday, February 28, according to Reuters. Terms of the agreement, in which Penguin Random House acquired worldwide publication rights for the two books, were not disclosed. But in keeping with their past practice, the Obamas plan to donate a "significant portion of their author proceeds to charity," including the Obama Foundation, the publisher said in a statement. The deal followed a heated auction for global rights to the two books with bidding that reached more than $60 million, a record sum for U.S. presidential memoirs, the Financial Times reported, citing people with knowledge of the sales process. By comparison, fellow Democrat and former President Bill Clinton earned $15 million for rights to his 2004 memoir "My Life" after he left office, while Obama's immediate predecessor, Republican George W. Bush, reaped some $10 million from his book "Decision Points," according to the Financial Times. Those books were published by Penguin Random House division Knopf and by Crown, respectively. Penguin Random House also published Obama's three previous books -- "Dreams of My Father," "The Audacity of Hope," "Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters." The company did not disclose the subject matter of the two forthcoming books, or a time frame for them to be published, but they will presumably cover Obama's time in the White House as the first African-American U.S. president. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |