Recently Christopher Plummer was in our downtown office to sign 500 plus copies of his biography, In Spite of Myself, for an upcoming event. The signing was split into two sessions, and I was lucky enough to be part of the assisting team for both sessions. Yes, we were all thrilled and honoured to meet him. Yes, he was genial and affable. And, yes, his eyes are just as amazing in reality as they are in film.

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In one of the most far-reaching multi-national and multi-language book-publishing deals by one publisher for a single title, Random House has acquired rights to publish a memoir by Salman Rushdie in each of its territories across the world. Knopf Canada, Mr. Rushdie’s long-time Canadian publishing house, will publish in Canada. (Other territories included in this deal are the U.S., the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, India, and South Africa, in English; Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, in German; and Spain, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Venezuela, and Uruguay, in Spanish.)

Salman Rushdie is one of the world’s most revered and honoured writers. His memoir will be an evocation of his public and personal life: his outsider’s experience at British public school and Cambridge; his evolution as a writer; his relationships as a husband and a father; and his years in hiding following the fatwah issued by the Ayatollah Khomeini after the publication of The Satanic Verses in 1988. Mr. Rushdie currently is working on the film version of his classic novel Midnight’s Children, which won the Booker Prize in 1981, co-written and to be directed by the Canadian film-maker Deepa Mehta.

Louise Dennys, Executive Publisher of the Knopf Random Canada Publishing Group, said: “It’s been both a huge privilege and a pleasure to have published Salman in Canada since 1992. He is a writer of extraordinary power and a mesmerizing storyteller — and in his own memoir he has a truly remarkable tale to tell. It is one of the most riveting memoirs I’ve ever read, and beautifully written. I know the thoughtfulness with which Salman has undertaken this book, and am overwhelmed by the insight, honesty, and humanity he is bringing to it. We’re looking forward to publishing it with equal passion and commitment.” MORE…

Alan Alda made his only Canadian appearance last week in Toronto to promote his new book Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself. I dutifully listened to his audiobook on the six hour trip back from Montreal. Note to self: don’t drive and listen to Alan’s book on audio. He had me in stitches so many times I thought I would drive off the road. More than that, his stories were poignant and thought provoking as he struggled to answer the questions: What is a good life? What do I value?. A story that he shared about his childhood pets had me sobbing at the wheel. When we finally met, Alan Alda was everything I thought he would be: charming and gracious. And that’s exactly what he was to the crowd of 300 people that came out to see him. I had such a great time meeting him and can’t wait for his next book. But that one I’ll be reading from the safety of my sofa!