Scottish publisher wins right to publish Obama's new book

Edinburgh, Nov.15 : An Edinburgh-based company, Canongate Books, has won the right to publish Barack Obama's latest book - "Change We Can Believe In".

Canongate Books will release the book on December 11.

The firm already publishes Obama's memoir - "Dreams from My Father", and his political manifesto, "The Audacity of Hope".

The new book outlines Obama's vision for the US and features his ideas on how to tackle key issues such as the economy, healthcare, energy, and America's image abroad.

It also contains eight key speeches from his election campaign, including the acceptance speech made at Grant Park, Chicago, on the night of his election victory.

Canongate saw sales of both of Obama's previous books quadruple after the results of the US presidential election. They now have more than half a million copies of the two titles in print.

The Scotsman quoted publisher Jamie Byng as saying: "We had high hopes, but this is fantastic. He is incredibly articulate, a real wordsmith. All this makes people more interested in reading him."

Hugh Andrew, the chief executive of the Birlinn/Polygon group, said: "This is fantastic for Scottish publishing. Of course it is a huge success for Canongate, but it is also a success for Scotland."

ANI