Former US president Mr Bill Clinton has agreed to write his memoirs.
Terms with publisher Alfred A Knopf have not been disclosed but he is expected to receive one of the biggest advances ever for a non-fiction book.
The former US president's book is expected to be out in 2003.
"President Clinton is one of the dominant figures on the global stage," Mr Sonny Mehta, the publisher's president and editor in chief, said in a statement.
"He has lived an extraordinary life, and he has a great story to tell."
Asked in a telephone interview whether the book would go into the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Mr Mehta said: "All I know is I came away from my discussions with him feeling it was going to be a pretty thorough and candid telling of his life, and that he was going to talk about all the principal events of his presidency.
"The heart of the book is what you'd expect it to be. The heart of it will be his presidency."
Asked about the size of the advance, Mr Mehta replied: "We're very comfortable with the price we agreed to."
The record advance for non-fiction was $8.5 million (£6.9 million) for worldwide rights to a book by Pope John Paul II in 1994.
Mr Clinton's wife Hillary received an $8 million (£6.6 million) advance for her memoirs.
Mr Clinton's book will be edited by Mr Robert Gottlieb, whose other authors have included Nobel laureate Ms Toni Morrison, the late historian Ms Barbara Tuchman and the late publisher Ms Katharine Graham.
PA