Boris Johnson got a book deal and could make $1.2 million off his memoir about his time as prime minister

• Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has signed a deal to write a memoir of his time in office.
• Literary agents previously told The Guardian that he stands to make more than $1.2 million from a book deal.
• Johnson has also made $1.2 million for delivering four speeches since he quit as prime minister.

Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has signed a deal to write a book about his time on Downing Street, and he could make over $1.2 million from the agreement.

The rights to the memoir were bought by publisher HarperCollins, but no title or publication date has been set yet, the company tweeted on Monday.

Johnson’s story in his own words will be a “prime ministerial memoir like no other,” read a press statement by Arabella Pike, the publishing director at William Collins, an imprint of HarperCollins UK assigned to publish the book.

HarperCollins hasn’t revealed financial details of the deal, but literary agents predict Johnson could be paid more than 1 million pounds, or $1.2 million, for the memoir, The Guardian reported in July.

One agent told the outlet they believed the ex-prime minister could snag “even a seven-figure deal” for the memoir.

Andrew Gimson, the author of “The Rise of Boris Johnson,” told the BBC that the memoir will “be tremendously readable and no ghostwriter will be required.”

“People pay vast amounts of money for these books,” he said, per the outlet.

A $1.2 million payout would still fall short of the 4.6 million pounds, or around $7.1 million at the time, that former Prime Minister Tony Blair received in 2010 for his autobiography, “A Journey.” 

Johnson is already the author of 11 published books. However, this would be the first time his work covers his tumultuous tenure as prime minister from July 2019 to September 2022, when he was forced to resign after a series of scandals involving his finances and conduct during the pandemic.

The former leader also took an advance to publish a biography of William Shakespeare in 2015, but he missed his deadline a year later and is still working on the book.

After quitting as prime minister, he’s been paid more than $1.2 million to deliver four speeches, at a rate of about $36,000 per hour, Reuters reported, citing financial data for members of parliament.

Johnson and HarperCollins did not immediately respond to Insider’s requests for comment.

Source: I N S I D E R