Sarah, Palin and All: Editors Lunge for Unbaked Alaska
Small Washington Press Hits Jackpot with 160-page Book
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Rachel Sussman knew there was a book to be written about Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as soon as John McCain announced two Fridays ago that she would be his running mate on the Republican ticket. It was soon discovered that one already existed, and that the tiny house that had published it—Epicenter Press in Kenmore, Wash., whose publisher is its only full-time employee and which specializes in books about dog-sled racing—was about to make a killing.
Sure enough, Sarah: How a Hockey Mom Turned Alaska’s Political Establishment Upside Down—which is 160 pages long, includes 50 color photos, and refers to Ms. Palin by her first name—shot onto the Amazon best-seller list. Still, Ms. Sussman, a literary agent at Zachary Shuster Harmsworth, suspected there was room in the market for something a little more rigorous, and after coming up with a list of writers who could potentially take on such a project, she started looking for a publisher that could put it out in time for the election. She talked to editors at four or five houses—including one that is well known for crashing books on short notice—but alas, no one thought the project feasible.
“There were people who said that even if we had the manuscript and they could edit it and get it printer-ready, getting it into bookstores would be a problem,” Ms. Sussman said in an interview this week. “I think people thought it was a good idea. … But it’s literally that the machinery doesn’t work that fast, unfortunately.”
Ms. Sussman wasn’t the only one who sought to seize on Sarah Palin’s sudden rise. Objective Entertainment agent Jarred Weisfeld called five major houses, too, offering up one of his clients to do a biography. None of them thought they could pull it off in time for Nov. 2. “The idea that I came up with was, if Palin loses, the author would get X amount. But if Palin wins, the author would get three times that amount,” Mr. Weisfeld said. “That’s the formula that I had gone out with, but nobody has been receptive to that because they’re all afraid that if Palin loses, the book is worthless.”
At least one publisher so far—Dudley Delffs of Michigan-based Christian house Zondervan, a subsidiary of HarperCollins—has decided to take the risk.
“Discussion about the possibility of a Palin book started literally an hour after her nomination,” Mr. Delffs said. “Throughout Labor Day weekend there was daily correspondence among our executive leadership team about the timeline—how quickly could we get it out, and could we get it out before the election.”
The following Tuesday, Mr. Delffs found a writer who was already researching a book about Ms. Palin and focusing on her leadership style and faith. The deal was done, an Oct. 10 release date was set, and the author—a former trial lawyer and what Mr. Delffs called a “preacher-teacher” who has recently been writing John Grisham-style legal thrillers—has since been working feverishly and transmitting chapters to his editor as he finishes them. According to Mr. Delffs, the book is devoted to aspects of Ms. Palin’s leadership style such as “fearlessness,” “authenticity,” and “her moral center.”
Mr. Delffs said he expects to have a completed manuscript ready to go within the next week or so. If the Oct. 10 release date can be pushed up, he added, it will be.
“I don’t know exactly what we’re doing differently,” he said, when asked why Zondervan would be able to rush the book in time for November while the houses Ms. Sussman and Mr. Weisfeld talked to could not. “Everyone has basically been going 24/7 to do whatever we need to do to make this happen. … I don’t think it’s an ideal situation for any of us, but there’s such interest and such a demand that we really think we can ensure the same quality product that we produce for any of our books.”
The folks at Collins, meanwhile, having determined that a real biography would not be possible, decided the other day to publish a humor book about Ms. Palin called Terminatrix: The Sarah Palin Chronicles, which will go to the printer Monday and land on shelves by mid-October. Editors at Collins are putting the book together themselves, but crediting the “editors of the Wasilla Iron Dog Gazette,” according to cheeky publisher Bruce Nichols. “They’ll explain in a brief forward that they have come across a cache of family photographs covering her entire life—in some cases, with notes she’s written on them—that show the whole Sarah Palin story for the first time.” He explained: “The book will be a whole bunch of Photoshopped images of her head on all kinds of bodies.”
If there is no time to print out a book how about starting a wiki with editing rights available only to political journalists.
I think its imperative to really know who is this lady, her ideas and what she did in life.
If there isn't a single place with real proven facts to judge her caracter how can the american people really choose?
Any bio book on the upstart Hockey Mom will have to be filed under fiction because of her inability to tell the truth. Bridge to Nowhere (for it then against it), Jet sold on eBay (didn't happen), favored secession with Alaska Independent Party(we solved that in 1865 folks), $26 million of earmarks for a sports complex (for a town that only has 543 homes connected to sewers), the whole smarmy escapade of her daughter's 1st & now 2nd baby ( cover-up from the beginning and on and on. Don't buy this book because her creditability is now gone.
Mr Ross has been watching too many Liberal Blogs. All his charges are damn lies. I think it would be great to elect a politician with a Governor approval rating over 80%. Even your first Messiah B J Clinton, didn't get 50% of the vote.
Jimbo
woa doug, might wanna check "fact check"instead of the daily koss and Katy Couric. Kool-Aid isle 5!!!!
doug you must be a public school grad, you cannot be more wrong check the facts please
Note to Doug Ross: You need to readjust your tinfoil hat; some of your insanity just leaked onto this blog. Thought you might want to know...
get ur facts straight... she said she put the jet up for sale on ebay...did not say it was soldon ebay.. fact
was in favor of bridge until she saw cost to the state partial cost from federal gov. most from state.. that's when she canceled it..fact
How can a 17 year old have a baby in May and still be pregnant in August.., also Doctor that delivered was interviewed and stated it was Sarah's baby...fact
before you throw out this unsubstanciated garbage for the the Annenberg website to get you facts straight...
As an Alaskan, I can tell you that EVERYTHING that you have said is an absolute LIE.
You "hate-tas" have nothing of substance. All that you have are partial and distorted "spins".
You claim that Wasilla, the fifth largest town in Alaska, "has only 543 homes connected to sewers".
That is an ignorant, and hateful LIE, just one of many you made about Governor Palin.
I live 50 miles north of Wasilla, and have for over twenty years.
Your absolute FEAR of Governor Palin is well placed, because she WILL "change" the culture of the Washington D.C. beltway insiders.
She means what she says, and she does what she promises, and there isn't a thing you can do about it but cry and scream.
Governor Palin is the real deal, and she is ROCK solid.
The worst part of this is that we Alaskans lose a GREAT Governor.
Look out D.C.! HERE COMES GOVERNOR PALIN!
Be afraid, be VERY afraid.
People see in her what they want to see; and the fact that Dems see a VEEP candidate outsider as a threat makes me laugh. It just shows to go you,
Mrs. Smith is going to Washington!
"For it then against it" What person does that not describe? Can politicians not change their minds? Obama and McCain both have done this multiple times. "Jet sold on Ebay" They might not have been able to get it sold on Ebay, but they had it for sale on there until they found a private buyer. "favored secession with Alaska Independent Party" There is no record of her having been in this party. Just her husband. Besides which, they don't actually advocate secession, they just want it on the ballot because they believe that it was not done properly the first time. "smarmy escapade of her daughter's 1st & now 2nd baby ( cover-up from the beginning" You forgot the closing ). Do you have proof of her daughter having a baby besides the one she is currently pregnant with? Or are you referring to Trigg, who cannot physically be her baby? You say "smarmy" (do you even know what that means?) but what you and others are doing is just vile. Her daughter is not running for anything. And what cover up? Everyone in their town in Alaska already knew well before the rest of the country did. They didn't hide it at all. Finally "her creditability is now gone". That would be "credibility" and is *now* gone? She had it before right now but lost it because you posted this? You liberals really are scared aren't you?
Congratulations America on thinking Sarah is "great." You actually managed to find someone even more stupid and unqualified than George W Bush!
I'm not sure why terrorists need bother attacking the USA... since you're all doing such a 'heckuva' job destroying it from within.
I'd love to know where the media is getting this supposed 80% approval rating for Palin. I'm an Alaskan (zip 99705) and I can tell you that we are plenty unhappy with Caribou Barbie. She has sold us out to big oil, she botched the gas pipeline deal and sent thousands of Alaskan jobs to Canada and in twenty short months she's managed to come under ethics investigation and accidentally get pregnant. She's drunk with power and confuses political agenda with personal vendettas. This weekend in Anchorage more than 1500 people turned out to protest Palin's idiocy. That may not seem like much to folks in the lower 48, but up here, that's a damn good crowd. Alaskans aren't the march and wave signs type - but these folks were mad. I remember Sarah when she was just a really bad sports reporter for KTUU, she got pregnant, eloped with Todd, and twenty years later she still hasn't figured out how babies are made. This woman is an idiot. She's been well coached by McCain's staff to parrot answers to the press, but is in NO WAY prepared to lead this nation. She'll be one heartbeat ( a weak heartbeat at that) away from the presidency and America simply can't afford that.
Oh wait - I'll bet that 80% comes from the north slope oil workers. They LOVE Palin, Of course, most of them are from Texas and Oklahoma.
Here you go Nancy. Whether you like her or not, if you really were a resident of Alaska you'd know this.
Pollster Ivan Moore said a poll conducted Aug. 30 - Sept. 2 reveal an 82 percent approval rating.
In a similar poll conducted Aug. 9-12, Palin was at 80 percent. Moore’s figures indicate a low of 76 percent in mid-July, based on polls conducted a few days after a story broke alleging that Palin, her family or staff had pressured the state Public Safety commissioner to fire an Alaska State Trooper involved in a bitter divorce with Palin’s sister.
Her numbers rebounded a few points within a week, reaching 80 percent in a poll conducted Aug. 9-12.
[…]
The Alaska governor has enjoyed tremendous popularity statewide following her election in 2006. A post-election honeymoon has really never faded. Ratings collected in May 2007 after five months in office revealed 89 percent popularity, which had fallen only a bit to 82 percent in January 2008.
http://www.newsminer.com/news/2008/sep/04/vp-nomination-boosts-palins-ra...
Dear Mr. Ross,
I find it very interesting that you have a problem with Sarah Palin flip-flopping on the bridge to nowhere when Obama flip-flopped on whether Iran represented a real threat to the U.S. in less than 24 hours. Regarding the jet. I've reviewed her acceptance speech at the convention three times. She clearly says I put the jet on Ebay. She didn't say it sold on ebay. So let me ask you the question I've been wanting to ask "can't see the forest for the trees" democrats like yourself. If she placed it on ebay, it didn't sell there, then she sold it through a broker, what difference does it make? The bottom line dipstick is that she finally sold the plane and cut the governors travel expenses by 80%. That's $460,000 down to $90,000 per year. Here is a link to her convention speech. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCDxXJSucF4 You can add your comment above "Jet sold on ebay" to the long list of things you've been wrong about in your life. start watching at about the 20:10 mark, you'll see that she said "put" it on ebay. Not "sold" it on ebay.
The Sport Complex was funded through a sales tax increase and and $14.7 million bond issue. At the time, the city's annual budget was about $20 million. In a March 2002 referendum, residents approved the mayor's plan by a 20-vote margin, 306 to 286. It narrowly passed, but it was a decision made by the people of Wasilla, not just Mayor Palin. Your confusion is typically of democrats and CNN reporters who have misclassified every Federal dollar spent in Alaska a earmark money. Most democrats are too stupid to understand the difference between all Federal Funding and Federal Earmarks.
As for your final comment suggesting that Trip is not Sarah's baby, I'd like to formally congratulate you on declaring yourself an idiot. Ask in OB/GYN if a baby with down syndrome would be more likely to be born to a young girl Bristol's age or a woman in her 40's. The fact that you by into that BS rumor that even the daily kos has admitted is false demonstrates how stupid you are. Seriously Mr. Ross, you've reached a new low this comment. I suppose next you'll tell us you saw a documentary on Saturday Night Live proving that Todd Palin has sex with his daughters.
You told three lies in your comments. Let's review:
1. You claimed Sarah Palin said the plane sold on eBay.
2. You said the Sports Complex in Wasilla was funded by earmarks.
3. You said that Trip was Bristol's baby.
Here are few lies Obama has told:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap2Cg_FDRy4 Perhaps we should put his books in the fiction section.
I have to wonder why the media doesn't care that Obama is friends with a terrorist?
I also wonder why such a caring man doesn't do anything to help his impoverished half brother
in Kenya.
I wonder how how someone can be in the IL state senate for 8 years and the U.S. Senate for 4 and not accomplish anything important. I've challenged democrats everywhere on over 20 boards to list one imporant thing he's done while in office. So far, zero takers.
I wonder why really dumb celebrities support Obama: Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, P Ditty, Chevy Chase, college dropout Matt Damon, the hags on The View, just to name a few.
CNN pointed out that Palin has neary tripled the funding for special needs children in Alaska. Yet liberals continue to lie and say she cut spending for special needs children by 62%. I'm sure you people laugh each time you make one up.
We'll see who laughs last in November!!!!
One last question, why doesn't the media cover the Biden boy's illegal financial dealings?????????? Talk about a double standard.
Nancy,
She actually took on big oil. You can't be so stupid as to not be aware of the extra money your state now gets because of her efforts.
As for the pipeline, why don't you in your own words tell us how she botched it. Just saying it doesn't make it so.
Finally, the approval rating is accurate. You are very much in the minority in Alaska if you do not like Sarah Palin.
Since when does having sex before marriage disqualify one from running for President or vice-president. I'm guessing you've never applied that standard to a male candidate?
I liked your reference to troopegate. I'm from Texas and can tell you FOR DAMNED SURE, that any trooper who threatened the governor's father and tasered a 10 year old wouldn't be on the force very long. Just drinking beer in uniform in the squad car would be enough to get them fired. The real question is why the good old boy troopers union in AK has stepped in repeatedly to save this thugs job. Oh by the way, Mike Wooten has been married and divorced 4 times. Where does that land on your morality scale?????
hehehehe ALL politicians, the media, newspaper, books etc = power and money. The same old thing just comes in a different package.
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Palin is a pretty women.lol.But,
I'm very excited that Obama win the election.Obama is a hero!I think he will change the US,change the world.He will guide our country out of war.McCain is good but Obama is much better,isn't it? I'd like to know does Obama wear jordan shoes or air force ones?I heard that Obama weared a pair of nike shoes in a dinner,do anybody know it?
Do Obama's daughter wear abercrombie?Abercrombie and Fitch company does sponsor Obama?Economy stop,would the new president turn the tide?Who know.I'd rather believe him.I feel that he will be a great man in politics just like Michael jordan in NBA.
Robby B.
Best wishes!