Rumors are swirling that publishers offered up anywhere from $7 million to $11 million for Sarah Palin's memoir, which might shed light on the (hopefully) juicy details of her daughter's much-discussed pregnancy, her interviews with Katie Couric, and how she balanced raising her family while pursuing a political career. "There's been so much written about and spoken about in the mainstream media and in the anonymous blogosphere world, that this will be a wonderful, refreshing chance for me to get to tell my story, that a lot of people have asked about, unfiltered," Palin said. Unfiltered sounds good--but how much was she paid? Both Palin and HarperCollins are staying tight-lipped about the deal, but the proof will be in the pudding when Palin releases her financial-disclosure forms later this year.
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Not to be outdone by alter-ego Sarah Palin, comedian Tina Fey scored a reported $6 million for a nonfiction humor book to be published by Little, Brown & Co. The book will be a collection of essays in the style of Nora Ephron—we can only hope that for so many millions, Tina gives us a little Palin encore.
Frazer Harrison / Getty Images
Looks like Kathy Griffin's made it off the D-list. The gossipy redhead scored $2 million for her memoirs from Random House's Ballantine imprint, sources said. Griffin's self-deprecating, boundary-crossing humor (" Suck it, Jesus!") should have her fans laughing well past their bedtimes, and her detractors furiously protesting outside the Random House offices.
Kevin Winter / Getty Images for TV Land
For a girl who's just not that innocent, Britney can't seem to get as much money as she feels she deserves for the story of her life. She's turned down multimillion dollar offers from venerated publishing houses Random House, HarperCollins, and Little Brown, sources say. Apparently, she's not willing to spill the details of her fascinating life for a mere $3 million—the pop star was said to be thinking closer to $8 million.
Sipa / AP Photo
The former Illinois governor seems to view his fall from grace as an opportunity for a super-fun publicity tour. He was paid six figures by Phoenix Books to explain "the dark side of politics" in The Governor, due out in October. But state lawmakers passed a bill laying claim to the book's earnings if Blago is convicted of any of the 19 counts on his indictment.
AP Photo
Sara Gruen's quirky sleeper hit about a Depression-era traveling circus, Water for Elephants, sold hundreds of thousands of copies, edging out Oprah's book picks on bestseller lists and getting optioned for a movie. Gruen's new publisher, Spiegel & Grau, shelled out $5 million for her next two books. The first one is titled Ape House, the story of a group of bonobos who star on a reality-television show.
Tina Paul, Camera Press / Retna
For $7 million, Cyrus will describe her family life and the road to fame in a memoir for Disney. (Who knew 15-year-olds could write memoirs?) She hopes the book will "inspire" her fans to live their dreams. The book is slated to come out next spring—right when the Hannah Montana movie premieres.
Jennifer Graylock / AP Photo
Everyone's favorite hero is picking up his pen for a stunning $3 million. But don't expect a mere recounting of the pilot's harrowing emergency landing in the Hudson River—the advance is for two books. Sully is a poet as well as a pilot, and HarperCollins will publish a book of his inspirational poems alongside his memoir.
Susan Walsh / AP Photo
Despite rumors of the book world shunning the former president, Crown publishers plunked down $7 million for his tentatively titled Decision Points, which will take readers through the process of Bush's often-controversial presidential choices. "I want people to get a sense of how decisions were made and I want people to understand the options that were placed before me," he said. President Clinton's post-presidency book, My Life, garnered a $15 million advance—don't take it personally, George.
David Zalubowski / AP Photo
Niffenegger is living the dream: Her first novel, The Time Traveler's Wife, ended up selling over a million copies, and her next novel has already been bought by Scribner for $5 million. The supernatural Her Fearful Symmetry will follow a pair of twins who inherit an apartment in London near a cemetery that's haunted by their aunt. Meanwhile, The Time Traveler's Wife is being made into a movie with Notebook star Rachel McAdams.
Lartige Christophe / Sipa
Obama's campaign manager and fundraising genius David Plouffe is writing The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama's Historic Victory, for Viking publishers in a whopping seven-figure deal rumored to be as high as $2 million. The book will detail the "drama" of the long primary battle as well as other campaign secrets. Plouffe didn't take a Cabinet position, but it looks like he'll be living it up with the profits from the book and myriad consulting and speaking engagements.
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
The New Jersey wine retailer scored a seven-figure, 10-book deal with HarperStudio when his 140,000-plus Twitter followers caught the publisher's eye. Though Vaynerchuk's specialty is wine, his posts became inspirational for wannabe entrepreneurs (not to mention Twittering, wannabe book writers) and the first book, out in September, will be called, Crush It!: Turn Your Passion Into Profit in a Digital World.
Michael N. Todaro / Getty Images
The former secretary of State—who's been in the spotlight for her role in harsh CIA interrogation tactics since leaving office— signed a three-book deal with Crown publishers for at least $2.5 million. One book will examine her role shaping policy under President Bush, one will be a memoir about her family, and the third will be a young-adult version of her family memoir. (Will Condi illustrate?) Crown, which is also publishing Bush's book, says her memoir will detail her upbringing "against a backdrop of fading Jim Crow laws and emergent civil-rights initiatives."
AP Photo
