Publishing insiders predict 'monster' global book deal for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could become the next generation's Obamas with book deals worth “an eye-watering amount of money” now they are stepping back as "senior" royals, publishing insiders have said.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their intention to distance themselves from the Royal Family to launch a new "charitable entity" and divide their time between the UK and North America on Thursday (9th January), prompting speculation of potential partnerships, TV shows and lucrative book deals which could outdo the Obamas $65M book advance.

The trade has predicted huge interest in any potential book deal though with a note of caution suggesting it will depend how the husband and wife’s charitable endeavours turn out and how public opinion falls.

Simon & Schuster UK’s deputy publishing director Ian Marshall said, when asked how much the books could be worth: "It’s a really interesting question. I suppose you get so used to the Royal Family not writing books that it’s quite hard to quantify. My first instinct is that so much will depend on what they do next and how much support it creates; if people get behind the charitable foundation they’ve mentioned, in the same way we have all so admired Harry’s work with the Invictus Games, then a book has huge potential. But if their life turns into a Hollywood-based world of celebrity endorsements, then that would diminish a book’s appeal."

Marshall, who is publishing Ingrid Seward’s biography of Prince Philip in 2021, added: "Obviously a memoir from either of them would generate enormous interest, but it seems a very unlikely path for them to take, because it would be such a break with tradition. For me, though, the next few weeks are crucial to ensuring they keep the public’s backing."

A London-based literary agent who preferred to remain anonymous believes the book deals will spark initial financial excitement but will not ultimately deliver returns. "Any potential Harry and Meghan book, if it happens, will certainly go for an eye-watering amount of money," they said. "Agents and publishers will go cock-a-hoop for it. It will sell bucket-loads but probably never earn out. And it would be my guess that as interesting as the lives both Harry and Meghan have led, the end book will also almost certainly be a carefully-constructed and tedious waste of paper. I look forward to seeing them do great work for charity and hopefully finding happiness as much away from the limelight as they can possibly get. I do not, however, look forward to reading any book they produce."

Another literary agent specialising in non-fiction said it was difficult to predict what the content should be. The agent, who preferred to remain anonymous, said: "It’s too speculative, but of course there’d be huge interest although quite what the book/s could be…How to marry a Prince? Harry’s Army Heroes? Obviously his memoir – because of his mum – would be massive, but beyond that it’s tricky: still it’d be a monster global deal."

An American literary scout based in New York was more upbeat and believes the appetite would translate across the pond. They said: "I think there'd be a huge amount of interest. Meghan Markle is considered by many to be the best kind of American hero: modern, iconoclastic, warm, but with real, relatable problems (with her own family, and her in-laws)."

The scout, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said: "She's a self-made woman and a feminist; she's honest about struggles with her mental health; and there's just such a perfect, ready-made narrative for Americans here about the commoner who became a princess but then decided to save herself and her man from soul-crushing convention, turning her back on the mythology that all little girls were taught to want, in order to be her own person. And Harry is beloved for his unwavering support. Considering their philanthropic interests and their natural glamour, they could be the next generation's Obamas, if they wanted to be."

Kiera O'Brien, charts & data editor at The Bookseller, gave her verdict on how the forerunners have paved the way for the couple: "Michelle Obama is, of course, a queen—Becoming has sold 728,520 copies in the UK, outselling Barack‚Äôs Dreams from My Father, on 711,403 (which rocketed up the UK charts after his election in 2008). His The Audacity of Hope also sold 443,231 copies [all published by Penguin].

"Bill Clinton‚Äôs bestseller in the UK is his James Patterson co-authored The President is Missing (Cornerstone) (maybe they could do a royal-inspired follow-up—The Prince/Duchess is Missing?) with 144,047 copies sold in paperback and 86,391 in hardback. My Life has sold 125,137 copies in the UK since 2004.

"Hillary’s bestseller is What Happened (S&S UK), with 90,495 copies sold (released about a year post-Trump), but Living History sold fairly solidly, with 72,263 copies in hardback in 2003 and 61,390 for the paperback.

"The Book of Gutsy Women (S&S) has sold 26,180 copies since October, which isn’t bad, and Chelsea also has She Persisted (S&S UK), which has sold around 3,000 to 4,000 copies across a few different editions.

"I’m not sure about the royals themselves (not senior ones at least), but Lady in Waiting [by Princess Margaret's former lady-in-waiting Lady Anne Glenconner, published last October] was such a huge hit Nielsen BookScan's Royal Autobiography category was boosted by about 3,400% last year. So the time is ripe."

Photo credit: Sussex Royal Instagram