It turns out that Three Cups Of Tea wasn't exactly a blow-by-blow, accurate account of Greg Mortenson's experiences in Afghanistan. The author is facing a few legal entanglements, not only due to a lack of accuracy in his book but a lack of clarity in his charity's accounting books.
That being the case, it should come as no great surprise to hear that super-agent Andrew Wylie is off in search of another publisher for Michael Hastings' expose that isn't standing up to scrutiny.
Little, Brown was fully prepared to publish the story of General Stanley McChrystal and the gross subordination that Mr. Hastings claimed he had uncovered during a long interview of the general. In fact, the author had received an advance that was said to be somewhere in the six-figure range, so positive were Little, Brown's bean counters that the book would be a best seller.
Positive, that is, until someone finally did what publishers have been failing to do lately. The Department of Defense conducted an inquiry into the Afghan theatre and couldn't find the corroboration they needed. There wasn't a soldier around who backed up some key details of Mr. Hastings' story.
On the heels of the Mortenson dust-up, the publisher backed out and Mr. Hastings will have to return his advance. His agent will have to find someone else who's satisfied that Rolling Stone magazine stands by their reporter, even if the Defense Department doesn't.
There aren't any six-figure advances to be had for a work of fiction. The market's too tight, and the sales figures just won't support a large pay-out. And there won't be six-figure advances for a work of non-fiction that can't be verified enough for a nervous corporation looking to avoid the sort of controversy that has buyers demanding refunds.
No comments:
Post a Comment