Behind the Deal

Comic author and radio personality April Winchell is the latest author to turn a blog into a book deal. She just sold "Regretsy," a title based on the her blog that highlights the oddest creations on Internet craft sites.

The Regretsy blog has featured everything from miniature paintings to those knitted spats. The title puns off the name of the popular craft site, Etsy. Jill Schwartzman at Random House's Villard imprint bought the title for trade paperback publication. Meg Thompson at LJK Literary Management negotiated the deal.

The site also features a fascinating page counting successful sales of strange crafts. Here's more about the forthcoming book: "The book will feature a collection of the oddest, most hilarious, and most disturbing crafts the world has ever seen, along with hilarious commentary provided by the author."

NY Times Washington correspondent Jodi Kantor has sold a book about President Barack Obama in a seven figure deal, according to the NY Observer.

Little, Brown won the book in an auction, and the deal was brokered by Elyse Cheney from Elyse Cheney Literary Associates. The article notes that the book will be edited by Geoff Shandler. Most recently, Kantor wrote a long essay for the NY Times magazine about the Obama's marriage.

Here's an excerpt, reflecting the reporter's unique perspective on the Obamas after covering them for three years: "Long before many Americans, Michelle Obama was seduced by his mind, his charm, his promise of social transformation; long before he held national office, she questioned whether he really could deliver on all his earnest pledges. For nearly two decades, Michelle Obama has lived with the president of the United States. Now the rest of us do, too."

GalleyCat made the front page of Louisville, Kentucky's Courier-Journal today, briefly quoted about the state of Twitter literature.

The newspaper story focused on two young writers who hope to land a book deal for their enormously popular Twitter feed, the Fake AP Stylebook. The website pays comic homage to "The AP Stylebook," the metaphorical Bible for resolving all journalistic style issues. According to the article, agent Kate McKean from Howard Morhaim Literary Agency has already spoken with Random House and Little, Brown about the project.

Here's a peek into the living room co-writer Mark Hale, a recession-era publishing success story: "Hale, meanwhile--whose living room has no couch but a large aquarium, some cats and a bookshelf packed with graphic novels--is trying to adjust from being an unemployed food-service worker (whose main responsibilities were job hunting, housekeeping and pet-tending--to co-creator of the latest Web phenomenon."

In early 2008, we learned that Sheila McClear (left), then an editor at Gawker, was shopping a memoir about her brief career as a peep show dancer. This morning, we're pleased to hear that the book, formerly titled Every Day I Know Less and Less: Postcards From the New Times Square, has been sold to Denise Oswald of Soft Skull as Last of the Live Nude Girls, in a deal brokered by Holly Bemiss.

In two weeks and 314 tweets, the Fake AP Stylebook Twitter feed has earned more than 43,000 followers. Now, the creators have signed with an unnamed agent.

The website pays comic homage to "The AP Stylebook," the metaphorical Bible for resolving all journalistic style issues. Founded by 31-year-old Mark Hale and 28-year-old Ken Lowery, the comic site specializes in pithy bits of fake journalistic wisdom like: "Do not use 'Whoomp! There it is!' unless it actually is there" and "To denote air quotes, 'use quotes.'"

Here's more from co-creator Hale, from a Media Nation interview: "We and the Bureau Chiefs are currently pulling together a sample chapter as part of a book proposal. We've been approached by three agents, and have finally signed on with one ... Other than that, we're going to continue trying to make people laugh for free on the Internet. That's where the real money is these days, after all."

(UPDATE: In an interview with MediaShift, Lowery identifies Kate McKean of the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency as their agent of choice. McKean is the agent for several bloggers with print aspirations, including the authors of TheLongThread.com, UnecessaryQuotes.com, and the I Can Has Cheezburger crew.)

In an earnings statement, Sarah Palin revealed she has already earned $1.25 million for her upcoming memoir, "Going Rogue: An American Life."

According to the Guardian, the former Alaskan governor may have earned another portion of her advance when she turned in her book in late September, "since book advances are often distributed in several parts." Some have speculated the advance totaled $7 million. In sunnier times for publishing, Hillary Clinton earned a total of $8 million advance for "Living History," her 2000 memoir.

Here's more from the article, noting that Palin has sparked a curious literary trend: "Also slated for release November 17 are two books called 'Going Rouge,' one a parody colouring book for children, the other a compilation of essays critical of Palin."

During these gloomy days of layoffs and economic struggles, one author landed a book deal by focusing on the power of magical thinking--turning a magazine article into a full-fledged book.

Psychology Today journalist Matthew Hutson just sold world rights to "7 Laws of Magical Thinking: How Everyday Irrational Wisdom Keeps Us Happy, Healthy and Sane" to Hudson Street Press editor-in-chief Caroline Sutton. The deal was negotiated by Melissa Flashman at Trident, and the book is scheduled for a winter 2012 release.

Here's more about the book: "A tour of the seven principles of everyday superstition to illuminate the deepest recesses of our imaginations and, ultimately, show us why belief plays a much more significant role in maintaining our health and happiness than most of us could ever imagine."

Actor and husband of actress Rebecca Romijn will write a memoir about raising twins with one of Hollywood's most famous moms.

Jerry O'Connell (pictured, via) has sold his memoir, "Cry, Feed, (Make Love to Wife), Burp" to Ballantine editorial director of non-fiction Luke Dempsey. The deal was negotiated by Richard Abate at 3Arts. While the memoir pegs O'Connell as a stay-at-home dad, O'Connell has starred in Stand By Me and Crossing Jordan.

Here's more about the book: "O'Connell will describe life as a very 21st century father in a land of celebrity, the sterile California suburbs, and two-for-one diaper changing -- everything from the moment he was told it was time for him to be a father, through the trials and tribulations of conception and childbirth, to the joys and disasters and joys again of staying home to raise two new babies."

It's always sort of bugged us that we've never gotten around to writing about Concord Free Press, the independent publisher that literally gives away its books (encouraging readers to make donations to charitable organizations and individuals in need), so when we saw news on the Entertainment Weekly book blog of a new Gregory Maguire novel released into the wild, we were delighted to see the house was still going strong—and then we found out from Concord board member Ron Slate about an anthology he's assembling for publication in 2010 called IOU: New Writing on Money.

Slate is looking for great writing in a variety of genres—short stories, poetry, prose poems, memoir, and essays included—and you can submit your material for consideration until the end of January 2010. If your work is accepted (and you'll find out in a month if that's the case), you'll be giving it to Concord for free, but as per the house's standard operating procedure, you'll retain all the rights and if you can sell it again, more power to you! (In fact, the first Concord offering, Stona Fitch's Give and Take, generated so much buzz that St. Martin's has picked it up for republication next year.) You will receive five copies of IOU when it comes out next spring—but Concord hopes that you'll pass at least four of them on to other readers.

(Slate has set up an IOU Facebook discussion group, so members can follow the conversation about the book, and its subject matter, there as well.)

HarperOne, the "mind-body-spirit" division of HarperCollins, announced late yesterday that it had become the exclusive publisher of Sylvia Browne, best known for appearing on television programs like The Montel Williams Show to demonstrate her "psychic powers" (including at least one stunning failure, when she informed the parents of an abducted boy he was dead, and he turned up four years later). Prior to this deal, Browne's books had most recently been split between Hay House and Dutton; the exclusivity begins with the May 2010 publication of a memoir, Psychic—and also includes a promise to launch "The Sylvia Browne Collection," a series of books by other authors about the supernatural and spirituality which Browne will promote through her website as well as personal appearances.

We would love to report that some publisher had given James Randi an exclusive three-book deal and created "The James Randi Collection" to promote books about the application of rigorous scientific research to claims of psychic and supernatural phenomena, but perhaps another day.