Sphere continues 23-year partnership with Albom in four-book deal

Little, Brown's Sphere imprint has acquired four more titles from Mitch Albom, continuing a 23-year partnership that began with the author's first book and memoir Tuesdays with Morrie.

The new deal was struck by Sphere fiction publisher Lucy Malagoni, who bought UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, from Caspian Dennis at Abner Stein, on behalf of Susan Raihofer and David Black at the David Black Agency.

The first title in the deal, The Stranger in the Lifeboat, will be published in November 2021 and is billed as a "page-turning mystery as well as a thought-provoking meditation on the how we can find light even in the darkest days".

Its synopsis reads: "Ten strangers find themselves stranded by a cataclysmic shipwreck. Their hopes of rescue are rapidly diminishing until they see a lone man floating in the waves, days later. How did he survive all this time? Is he the answer to their prayers, or something else entirely? And why did the ship really sink? The Stranger in the Lifeboat is a page-turning mystery as well as a thought-provoking meditation on the how we can find light even in the darkest days."

Malagoni said: "We are proud to continue our relationship with Mitch, and to share more of his beautiful, unique stories with his many fans. The Stranger in the Lifeboat is a book that will make you think about the biggest questions in life – why we are here, and what it all means – whilst also entertaining you every step of the way. We can’t wait to publish it this autumn."

Albom commented: "I am honoured and humbled to continue my publishing relationship with Little, Brown. Long before I’d achieved any real writing success, Little, Brown believed in my work. The people there have, for decades, made me feel at home away from home. I look forward to partnering with them for many more years and books, starting with The Stranger in the Lifeboat."

The author has sold more than 40 million copies of his books around the world, and been translated into 47 languages, Little, Brown said.