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| Amanda Knox at her appeals trial in Italy |
in·fa·mous
adjective
1.
having an extremely bad reputation: an infamous city.
2.
deserving of or causing an evil reputation; shamefully malign;detestable: an infamous deed.
News came out last week that Amanda Knox signed a book deal with Harper Collins for her memoirs for almost $4 million.
When I read this news, I was deeply troubled but not at all surprised. I mean, we live in a world where a publisher paid money to have O.J. Simpson write a book about how he would have killed his wife, if he had actually committed the crime.
???
How sad is that? As a writer new to this publishing business, I am deeply troubled by the fact that publishers still shovel out serious money (4 million dollars??!!) for a memoir for no other reason than to make money off of sensationalism. To me, this lowers the publishing business down to the sewers.
Acquitted
Ok, so she was acquitted on appeal. But the fact remains that someone killed that young girl, Meredith Kercher, in Italy. The fact remains that the victim's family still mourns her death. The fact remains that the case still goes unsolved.
Yet Harper Collins forgets all these facts all for sensationalism.
I hope the books flops.
On Writing
Still, we "wanna-be-successful" writers plug along writing into the wee hours of the night hoping for our big break. We long to have our stories read, readers' imaginations stirred, and some money in the bank in order to keep on writing even if we may never get that Harper Collins book deal simply for being infamous.
I know some people will buy her book. They will be intrigued by her story. Harper Collins will make their money back. But it just irks me that this nobody who became somebody because of a murder is now going to have her book published when there are so many talented writers out there who may never get to experience that great feeling of holding their book in their hands. Sigh.
That's the way it goes, I suppose. The publishing business is strange....strange, yet fascinating.
Oh well. Life goes on. I think I'll just keep writing despite what I know of the business...maybe I'll write a book about a girl who is acquitted of murder, sells her memoirs for millions, only to discover her victim isn't dead after all. Hmmm.....
Blessings,
Ruth
I share your frustration. Not only to bad people get all the good book deals, but people who can't even write become famous authors.
ReplyDeleteI recently read a book that was written by a "celebrity" religious leader. Later I attended a conference in which he casually mentioned that he did not write the book at all. He paid someone else to do it. While I know a lot of people use ghost writers, it just seems a bit dishonest to claim to be a best selling author when the only thing you wrote was your name on a check to a ghost writer. Ah....the joys of writing...
How sad is that?? A religious leader caught in a lie about his book...ugh!
DeleteTo be fair, Rob Lowe's book was pretty good, and he wrote it by himself. I was impressed. I have read some of Kirk Douglas' books and enjoyed them. He did not have a ghost writer and he wrote one when he was 90 yrs old!
But when these infamous people get HUGE book deals...that really irks me!!
Thanks for visiting, Terry!
I think it's interesting that the biggest advance some authors get is, what $10,000, at MOST? $4 million in comparison...that's just nuts.
ReplyDeleteI know! It shows their priorities....
Delete