Crown Gets 'What to Wear'

by John F. Baker -- Publishers Weekly, 9/27/2004

A book called What Not to Wear, based on a lighthearted hit British TV show about wardrobe makeover, was a big seller for Riverhead last year, so there was keen interest in a recent proposal by the pair who cohost the American version of the show on the Learning Channel, Clinton Kelly and Stacy London. A lively auction resulted, and the winner, exercising his topping privilege as the floorholder, was Rick Horgan at Crown. He foresees a strong following for his title, too (it has the "not" removed, so as not to cause confusion) as he thinks the U.S. show has an even stronger following than the British one, and Kelly and London offer many models of both sexes to illustrate the makeovers, rather than only two women, as in the earlier book. The authors are experienced fashion journalists, and the world rights sale was made by Lauren Galit at John Boswell Management.