Granta has acquired world English rights to an inside account of the world of mass cocaine smuggling, by Italian La Repubblica journalist Luca Rastello. Commissioning editor Michal Shavit closed the pre-emptive deal for "I am the Market: how to smuggle cocaine by the ton and live happily" with Marie-Louise Zarmanian of Italian publishing group Mauri Spagnol, and will publish the title as a trade paperback in August 2010. The book is told in the form of five lessons in mass smuggling by a convicted smuggler. On an ironic level these five lessons are presented as a complete course in how to become a consummate cocaine trafficker; on a more serious level they provide an account of the phenomenon and a deep analysis of developments in the cocaine economy over the last thirty years or so. Commissioning Editor Michal Shavit says: "This is close as we'll ever get to understanding the minds and operations of mass cocaine smugglers. It's the story of cocaine as it's never been told before and we are all confident that Luca Rastello's powerful account will resonate with readers all over the world".

Jonathan Hunt, translator of Niccolo Ammaniti's "I'm not scared" and "Steal you away", will be translating.

Granta will publish "I am the market" in August 2010.