The Bookseller.com

1st December 2008

Osbourne to write blockbuster fiction

04.09.08 Benedicte Page

Sphere plans to build Sharon Osbourne as a big fiction brand, writing Jackie Collins-style blockbusters.

Publishing director Antonia Hodgson has signed up two novels from Osbourne, wife to rock legend Ozzy Osbourne, whose profile as a popular media personality was boosted by her role as a judge on TV's "The X-Factor".

The first book is scheduled for publication in hardback next summer, with a paperback edition to follow. The deal was done through Osbourne's management, Newman Associates, but financial details were not disclosed.

Hodgson said: "The plan is for her to do a book a year. We really see this as an exciting new venture and it will be our biggest fiction début launch for next year with a very big marketing campaign." Osbourne will be busy promoting the novel on publication. "She's very committed to putting in the time," said Hodgson.

The as-yet-untitled 2009 novel is described as being full of "glamour, Hollywood, gossip and scandal, outrageous and funny and with lots of great plot twists". Osbourne will work with a ghostwriter, but will come up with many of the ideas herself, added Hodgson. "Sharon's very excited and she's got a lot of ideas, because she's lived the LA life in the celebrity world and seen it from lots of different perspectives." Hodgson added that Osbourne was a genuine enthusiast of blockbuster fiction, as well as a personal friend of Jackie Collins.

The Little, Brown Book Group also published Osbourne's highly successful autobiographical works, Extreme and Survivor, which have together sold more than 1.2 million copies through Nielsen BookScan. An autobiography from Ozzy Osbourne was commissioned by Sphere in 2005 and was originally due to appear in 2007, but no publication date has yet been finalised.

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