More about O
S&S continues to throw catnip to the press about a book coming out next week, O: A Presidential Novel. Last week, word began to spread about this anonymous novel, based on scraps of information (The Week, wraps up speculation on who might have written it, the most wacky being Obama himself).
Today, S&S Publisher, Jonathan Karp sent a message to journalists, with links to the book’s just unveiled Web site, and a request,
You may be asked to comment on whether or not you are the author. If so, it would be great if you refrained from commenting, in solidarity with the principle that a book should be judged on its content and not on the perceived ideology of its author.
I received the message, too, but not to worry. Unless the book is riddled with typos, I don’t expect anyone will be asking me. However, a librarian could be behind this; an excerpt describes a Sarah Palin type as “flaunting that whole lusty librarian thing“.
The first to bite is Slate‘s David Weigel (who made a reputation as a conservative reporter and blogger at the Washington Post, but left after his criticisms of other conservatives in the media were revealed). Contrary to Karp’s request, he wants everyone to know he did NOT write the book, citing an excerpt as filled with cliches, which, he says, means it is probably by an “escaped young adult fiction writer.”
OK, YALSA, it’s your turn — comment here.
The cover of the book is now available. Since last week, large libraries we checked have ordered the book in modest quantities, with some holds building.
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