Fuzzy Math Behind Palin Book

Sarah Palin must be praying that her Monday appearance on Oprah will lead to a slot on the talk-show maven's book list. In spite of a rumored 400,000-plus first print run for Palin’s memoir, Going Rogue: An American Life, which comes out Tuesday, November 17, the Daily Finance crunches a slew of numbers to reveal that HarperCollins might not want to bank on the book. Palin made the book deal last May, has received a $1.25 million retainer, and is expected to receive up to a $7 million advance, by the time Going Rogue arrives next week. Factoring in actual versus projected print runs for paperback and hardcover copies, Amazon-Wal-Mart-Target discount sales, ghostwriting fees, and the potential total payment to Palin, the Daily Finance claims that HarperCollins will need to sell more than 400,000 copies of the book just to break even—and that’s only if Palin’s total advance was a measly $5 million.