Intellectual property rights of Wilbur Smith’s novels put up for sale

The intellectual property rights to the novels of British-South African author Wilbur Smith are up for sale, with ACF investment bank handling the process.

Smith, who died in 2021, published over 50 novels in genres such as adventure and historical fiction. Smith’s first novel When the Lion Feeds was published in 1964.

More than 50 years after his debut, Smith signed an eight-figure deal with Bonnier’s Zaffre in 2017, described by then Bonnier Publishing group chief executive Richard Johnson as “one of the biggest in publishing history". He signed a further 10-book deal with the publisher in December 2020. A further 12 of Smith’s novels are set to be published between 2023 and 2027.

Up for sale are all non-literary media rights, such as TV, film, and merchandise. AFC investment bank, who were appointed by the author’s estate, said the books had “significant financial potential” to be adapted into films, TV shows and animations.

The firm, which advised The Saul Zaentz Company on its sale of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit intellectual property, said the rights represent an “ideal opportunity for any of the big international studios, production groups, or streamers with creative horsepower, that want to reimagine and exploit proprietary content and maximise the diversity of the IP through multiple scripted television series, feature films, video games, merchandising, immersive experiences and advertising revenue".

ACF c.e.o. Thomas Dey said: “Wilbur Smith is a classic example of a prime library of rich IP that has a massive global following (over one million books a year). This could position an ambitious buyer with two decades of developed storytelling and intellectual property.”