Virgin Books acquires The Airbnb Story

Virgin Books has acquired The Airbnb Story, the first "definitive" book about the $25.5bn-valued company, to publish in spring 2017.

Authored by Leigh Gallagher, assistant managing editor of Fortune magazine, it tells the story of how three broke guys disrupted an industry, made billions of dollars and plenty of enemies, providing the first in-depth character study of its 34-year old founder and c.e.o. Brian Chesky.

Senior commissioning editor Jamie Joseph acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from US publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt via Abner Stein to The Airbnb Story.

Joseph said: “Airbnb is a cultural touchstone as much as a business, sparking mass loyalty from millions of users, as well as fear from regulators, politicians and hotel owners.  With incredible access to the founders and key players driving Airbnb forward, Leigh tells the definitive story of how they got there, the ways travel is changing, and where they’re going next.”

Gallagher said: “The tale of Airbnb’s founding, its colourful early days and its meteoric rise is a rags-to-riches story for the ages, one packed with lessons for the aspiring entrepreneur and executive alike. But its significance goes well beyond the nuts and bolts of its business success: It’s also about the societal, cultural and demographic forces that created the unique conditions that allowed it to thrive. I’m thrilled to be partnering with Ebury Publishing to bring this remarkable story to the UK, an early and critical market in the company’s growth trajectory."

Virgin will publish in spring 2017 as a £16.99 hardback.