Latest from Publisher's Weekly: Keith Richard's memoir & when I saw Keith Richards ...

by Susan Abraham

The London Book Fair is described as a little quiet this year with the exception of Rolling Stone's Keith Richard's memoir, which british literary agent Ed Victor, is shopping for him about the place. Potential publishing deals across the Atlantic could run into US$milions.

Personal Anecdote: I once met Keith Richards while walking along Oxford Street in London. It was busy with window-shoppers and I'm still surprised no one noticed. You can recognise Richards straightaway with his exquisite foxy face. He wore black sunglasses and clearly enjoyed his stroll, though you knew he was hurrying on to somewhere. He looked pint-sized and at ease with the crowd.

Because I was staring, he looked up in my direction, straightaway alert. It all felt a little strange. We kept our eyes fixed on each other in a comical fashion and spotting too, that faint whiff of interest and curiosity. It was the longest time I ever set eyes on a stranger, as we walked in opposite directions; him about to pass me from the left and I, from his right. It felt almost as if we were transfixed, cautious and biding our time, all at once. It was a moment born from pure spontaneity.

Maybe he feared I was going to approach him, to talk or ask for an autograph but I daresay he would have stopped. He looked pleasant enough that morning. I finally settled for his grateful smile when the moment came that we passed each other. I just couldn't corner Richards like that on the street and not in his private time.

Tip: By the way, Ed Victor is not an agent you'd want to post your fiction/non-fiction manuscript to, unless you're a high-profile celebrity. Save those stamps!

Picture credit to : Heckler Spray.com