NYPost: "Laura's hot, but Dubya's not"

The New York Post's Page Six, home to gossip about wanna-be celebrities and their cousins, the actually famous, disclosed today that First Lady Laura Bush is negotiating with publishers who are bidding on her memoirs. As one literary agent told the Post, "The publishers are coming to the White House to meet with her and discuss the book."

President Bush, by contrast, is said to be waiting before pitching his memoirs. With an approval rating at historic lows, the president apparently thinks he should wait five years before approaching publishers. One agent, Mort Janklow, asked how long Bush should wait, quipped, "30 or 40 years might be good." In the meantime, the more popular first lady -- a former teacher, librarian and a published author -- may serve up a more palatable version of the Bush 43 White House, say literary agents.

Recalling a similar situation for British Prime Minister Tony Blair, whose wife Cherie published a memoir before he did, British literary agent Andrew Lownie told the London Telegraph:

The Blairs pioneered this strategy and it is a great way of testing the waters. Mrs. Bush is clearly a lot more popular than her husband at the moment and this is a way of serving up a story in a way that is palatable to the public. Longer term, I am sure we will also see a book from her husband and this of course allows for two bites of the cherry. Commercially, it makes great sense. Also, of course, the public tend to mellow in their attitude to even the most hated political leaders over time.

No word yet on the size of the advance, but you can start counting those zeroes. Bill Clinton made $30 million from sales of his "My Life" and his "Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World." Former First Lady, now New York senator, Hillary Rodham Clinton, got $8 million for "Living History."

-- Johanna Neuman

Photo: Shealah Craighead / White House

Comments

[Robert NO longer in LA]

Oh Yeah, Laura Bush had lots to contribute,,,you can see her efforts in his poll numbers. Gawd...GIVE IT A REST! And us too, as we barely survived this pretentious, ignorant cow-paddy from texas.

[mary.thomsen@sbcglobal.net]

I totally agree with the comment by Robert, no longer in LA!!

[Dave]

I found the Clintons' books unreadable because they are such liars.