Eat the Press notes this recent deal from Publishers Marketplace:

Internet sensation (and recent winner of the YouTube Video Award for Best Series based on viewer voting) AskANinja.com creators Douglas Sarine and Kent Nichols's THE NINJA HANDBOOK: A Guide for Non-Ninjas To Become More Ninja-like, claiming to be the first "video podcast to book" deal, to Julian Pavia at Crown, for six figures, at auction, by Joe Veltre of Artists Literary Group (NA). Ask a Ninja is represented by UTA and manager John Elliott at Mosiac Media.

You know, the publishing industry is such a wondrous magical place—like a Disneyland where all the animatronic characters are made out of money!—that of course video podcasters want in.

For instance: It only takes most publishers 18 to 24 months to publish a book! They also have these innovative ideas of promotion—as a Published Author, you might be allowed to fly yourself to Chicago and/or Miami, sometimes Iowa City, to read to an audience of 12 or 13 people at a Barnes and Noble!

And when your Kirkus and/or Publisher's Weekly reviews come out, and their wild praise contains one critical note, suddenly the PR people at your publisher are occupied with other projects. Then, surely unrelatedly, your $20,000 advance doesn't earn out and everyone scratches their heads in puzzlement.

It's the most retarded shell game on earth. And also the most technophobic, ass-backwards, financially-dumb-headed industry in the world. (Well, maybe second, behind office water delivery businesses. But at least they know how to charge the right prices for their product.) Our prediction: First video podcaster book: $140K advance. Second video podcaster book: $700K advance. Third video podcaster book: $15K advance. None earn out, the shark gets skullfucked in both eyeballs, and then it's contract video podcasting gigs for all, and some God-awful ghost-video podcasting gigs, which results in yet more bitter alcoholic blather on video podcasts. Enjoy the moment, little video podcasters. Take your advances and buy stock in Vator.tv while you can.

Presented Without Comment [ETP]

Very Previously: The Agenting of the Blogs: Kate Lee Will Enrichen You