Last night (9th March) saw a gathering of an array of players from trade and publishing at The Delaunay in London (WC2B) to celebrate Lynda La Plante’s 80th birthday and toast the announcement of her dazzling new memoir.
Friends from across the industry joined LaPlante and her publishing team as it was revealed that Zaffre, LaPlante’s fiction publisher, will publish the memoir of the legendary Queen of Crime Drama in spring 2024. Publisher Margaret Stead acquired World rights from Nigel Stoneman at La Plante Global.
A true tour-de-force, Lynda La Plante’s memoir will amuse, awe and inspire. It will cover Lynda’s life from her youth growing up in Merseyside to her time studying at RADA at only fifteen years of age alongside legends Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt; the exasperation she felt at the limited roles available for female actors that led to her writing Widows and Prime Suspect for television, her journey to writing fiction and her phenomenal success as one of Britain’s most cherished and well-known crime writers. All this against the backdrop of a life fully lived.
La Plante is crime-writing royalty and her life has been much-feted. She is the author of over 40 novels, all of which have been bestsellers, has scripted over 170 hours of international television, been the recipient of 3 BAFTA awards and is a member of The Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame. She is also one of only three screenwriters to have been made an honorary fellow at the British Film Institute and the first lay person to be awarded with an honorary fellowship by The Forensic Science Society.
Lynda La Plante said:
‘I’ve reached 80, but actually I feel 50 and I am having the time of my life. I’m still writing and producing and have no intention of stopping. I’ve lived a very full life, I’ve been an actress, producer, screenwriter and author. I hope that the memoir my publisher Bonnier Books UK has asked me to write will not only entertain, but also impart some of the wisdom I’ve gained along the way. I look forward to sharing my story.’
Publisher Margaret Stead said: ‘We are thrilled to be publishing the memoir of our beloved Lynda La Plante. Lynda is without equal – a born storyteller, brimming with joie de vivre. Her sense of humour, integrity and style are unmatched, and we have all been inspired by her. For years, we at Bonnier Books UK have been privileged to hear Lynda’s incredible stories of a life lived to the full, so it is an absolute pleasure to be publishing Lynda’s memoir and to share with her loyal readership the life and stories of such an incredible legend of film, television and publishing. Not only will readers be thrilled and amazed by her experiences and … …achievements, but future generations will learn so much. This memoir, like Lynda herself, is pure gold dust.’
Lynda La Plante’s memoir will be published in hardback, audio and eBook spring 2024. Further details and title to be announced.
