HarperCollins pre-empts 'definitive account' of Trump presidency from Haberman

HarperCollins Publishers has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, for a currently untitled book about Donald Trump by New York Times journalist Maggie Haberman.

HarperNonFiction editorial director Joel Simons pre-empted a deal with Matt Carlini at the Javelin Agency. The book will be published by the HarperNonFiction imprint Mudlark in 2022. Penguin Press US will publish simultaneously. 

Haberman is described as one of the pre-eminent reporters of the Trump presidency, known for several big scoops — from the Mueller investigation to the president’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. She was part of the New York Times team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 and her articles on Trump have accounted for hundreds of millions of New York Times page views in 2020 alone, says the publisher. 

Haberman's book will be offer a "definitive account" of Trump's life and presidency. She will draw on an her network of sources to provide a "fresh and informative" take on the Manhattan real-estate developer-turned-reality television star, and the current political era that he sought to remake in his image.

Simons said: "I’ve been a huge admirer of Maggie Haberman for a long time and I’m over the moon to be publishing her book in the UK. She’s an extraordinary talent — persistent, meticulous and consistently insightful — and her work on the 45th president has made for essential reading throughout his tenure in the White House. I’m absolutely delighted to be working with her."