Eight-year Three Lives tale hits seven figures

A piece of investigative journalism about women’s sex lives has been signed in a seven-figure deal by Simon & Schuster US, with a six-figure UK deal looking likely.

The “unique” non-fiction book, by American journalist and academic Lisa Taddeo, follows the sex lives of three women she interviewed and studied over an eight-year period.

S&S US executive editor Jofie Ferrari-Adler bought the title, Three Women, plus a novel and a collection of short stories by Taddeo, from Jenn Joel at ICM for seven figures, The Bookseller understands.

A six-publisher auction for UK rights to Three Women (only) is ongoing, managed by Curtis Brown’s Cathryn Summerhayes, with the bidding expected to tip into six figures when it concludes by the end of the fair. “Taddeo is a mega talent and Three Women is so unique. I think it will have the same sort of impact as Tara Westover’s Educated,” Summerhayes said.

With publication slated for next August, the book has already attracted early praise from author Dave Eggers who described it as “one of the most riveting, assured, and scorchingly original debuts I’ve ever read”.

Summerhayes said: “We are coming out of the #MeToo backlash and this is trying to understand what women are all about in intellectual way rather than just a political way.”

She said that Taddeo, who recently completed an MFA programme in America, had “met a lot of women before choosing which three”.

“She has captured what is going on in their minds so completely,” Summerhayes added.