Bill Clinton Closes Book Deal

As expected, the deal to publish Bill Clinton's highly anticipated collection of memoirs garnered Bill the highest advance in history for a non-fiction work. In fact, rumors are circulating that Bill accepted more than $8.5 million from publisher Alfred A. Knopf for his unwritten work. Sources close to the deal say that Clinton received higher offers from other publishers but he chose Knopf because of the firm's reputation for quality and good taste in its publications.

The Washington Post and New York Times are both reporting that Clinton's deal is worth more than $10 million and many in the industry feel that it may be a steal at that price. "President Clinton is one of the dominant figures on the global stage,'' said Sonny Mehta, Knopf's president and editor in chief. "He has lived an extraordinary life, and he has a great story to tell.'' Typically, books written by former presidents are not big sellers, but Clinton has consistently defied conventions throughout his political career.

"Clinton defies all rules; we've learned that,'' said David Rosenthal, publisher of Simon & Schuster. "We're disappointed we didn't get him, but I'm sure he will write a good book and I'm sure it will be a very big selling book.'' The questions that are looming on the horizon include what exactly will be included in his memoirs and how much detail will be revealed. Most notable will be questions regarding Clinton's extra-marital encounters with Paula Jones, Monica Lewinsky, and Jennifer Flowers, just to name a few.