Breaking: Bloggers Get Book Deals! (But Not For as Much as You Think)
Nothing certifies a hot new trend like a mention in a fledgling trade pub, so now it must finally be true: "It's safe to say that the blog-to-book phenomenon has gone mainstream," reports The Book Standard today. "Two more well-known bloggers scored book deals this week."
The Standard's a bit late on the Elizabeth Spiers news — which we broke Monday morning — but it does point out what a busy week agent-to-the-blogstars Kate Lee had, wrapping up not just the Spiers deal but also one for Instapundit blogger Glenn Reynolds. It's also a nice gift to Spiers in the wake of her I'm-finally-leaving-Mediabistro party, held last night, not at The Magician, and to which we very much hope Laurel Touby was invited.
One thing the piece didn't mention — as no coverage yet has — is the size of the advance. So what was it? We've heard several different numbers, all within $10K of each other and all somewhat below $50K. The rumored numbers are, of course, quite respectable for a first novel, and she gets to work with the Wunderkind editor behind David Sedaris and Dave Eggers. But it's not the figure one anticipated for the much-buzzed-about Spiers.
Then again, a chance to flee the boa that swallowed Manhattan? Priceless.
Gawker Founder Elizabeth Spiers and 'Instapundit' Glenn Reynolds Score Book Deals; Wonkette Novel Due Out in January [The Book Standard]