Read the original article over at The Bookseller.
Biteback Publishing has bought world rights to a book from Janis Sharp, the mother of hacker Gary McKinnon.
The book, Saving Gary McKinnon: A Mother’s Story, was bought for a five-figure sum from Rebecca Winfield at The Rebecca Winfield Agency.
Iain Dale, publisher at Biteback, said: “I am thrilled to be publishing Janis Sharp’s book, which tells of the difficult and courageous campaign that she waged for ten years to save her son, Gary, from being deported to the US. She is a truly remarkable woman.”
Sharp said: “I’m so pleased that Iain Dale and his team at Biteback are releasing my story, which is a very personal account of a ten-year struggle to save the life of my son Gary McKinnon and free him from a decade of fear of extradition. Iain and his team immediately saw the relevance of publishing a cathartic account, of how the strength needed to fight the un-fightable stemmed from my own life experience and an unshakable belief in the good that exists in people.”
McKinnon, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, was accused by the USA of hacking into military computers. McKinnon claimed he was looking for evidence of UFO cover-ups, and after ten years of legal action, the UK decided in October 2012 not to extradite him.
The book will be published in September, accompanied by an extensive marketing and PR campaign.