Clinton pens his memoirs

Clinton is still seen as a global player

Former US President Bill Clinton has started writing his memoirs.

He has lived an extraordinary life, and he has a great story to tell

Sonny Mehta
President, Alfred A Knopf

Mr Clinton has drawn up a publishing contract with Alfred A Knopf, for a fee which is estimated to exceed $8 million.

The book is expected to be published in 2003.

"He has lived an extraordinary life, and he has a great story to tell," said the firm's president and top editor, Sonny Mehta.

Will the infamous intern make it into the memoirs?

It is unclear whether the former president will reveal the details of his affair with the intern Monica Lewinsky, but Mr Mehta said that he was under the impression the journal would be "pretty thorough and candid".

Mr Mehta said the crux of the book would be Mr Clinton's time as president - a tumultuous period that included his impeachment.

Record money

The publishing company would not divulge the exact size of the advance, but Mr Mehta said that he was "very comfortable" with the agreed price.

The memoirs may assess his roles in Kosovo and the Gulf War

The biggest advance for non-fiction so far was $8.5m for worldwide rights to a book by Pope John Paul II in 1994.

Mr Clinton's wife, Senator Hillary Clinton, was awarded an advance of up to $8m for her memoirs.

Mr Clinton issued a statement saying he was looking forward "to working with Sonny Mehta and Bob Gottlieb, and the rest of their extraordinary team as I begin writing my memoirs".

The memoirs will be edited by Robert Gottlieb, whose other authors have included Nobel laureate Toni Morrison, the late historian Barbara Tuchman and the late publisher Katharine Graham.