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Little, Brown announced today that they were the winning bidders for Keith Richards's memoir, shelling out a reported $7.3 million for the book, to be published in 2010. Michael Pietsch will edit in the U.S.; Alan Samson at Weidenfeld & Nicolson will edit in the U.K. That seems like an awful lot of money to spend on a book without a proper proposal by a guy who probably can't even remember what he had for breakfast this morning, much less which birds he shagged 30 years ago.

Way back in the eighties, Mick Jagger signed a $1.6 million deal for his memoirs, then eventually returned the money when he couldn't remember enough to write the book. Richards's agent, Ed Victor, seems to have convinced Little, Brown that the presence of acclaimed writer James Fox, who reportedly has been friends with Richards for years, will ensure delivery of a manuscript. Here's hoping (they get some) satisfaction.

Little, Brown Wins Richards Autobio [PW]