LAS VEGAS, March 29 (UPI) -- Retired tennis star Andre Agassi has joined the pantheon of memoir writers who won multimillion-dollar advances from U.S. publishers for their life stories.
Agassi will receive about $5 million from publishers Alfred A. Knopf and Vintage for the hardcover and paperback versions, respectively, the New York Post reported Thursday. That puts him in a class with former President Bill Clinton ($12 million), former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan ($8.5 million), Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. ($8 million) and retired General Electric Chairman Jack Welch ($7.1 million).
Agassi apparently didn't go for the biggest dollar offer, the newspaper said. HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster and Hachette's Warner 12 publishing concern were all were believed to be in the $5 million to $4.35 million range.
The book is likely to include details of Agassi's marriage to actress Brooke Shields, as well as his current marriage to fellow tennis great Steffi Graf. His work with poor children at the Las Vegas school that bears his name is also expected to be covered.
"He has lived an extraordinary life, and he has a great story to tell," said Sonny Mehta, Knopf's editor in chief.
