There’s no official word that the report by special counsel Robert Mueller will be made public, but already two publishers are planning to rush books to market if and when it happens — and the pre-orders are putting them at the top of the “coming soon” bestseller list on Amazon.
Alan Dershowitz, the First Amendment attorney who had the 2018 best-seller, “The Case Against Impeaching Trump,” is writing the forward for “The Mueller Report” to be published by Skyhorse Press. It was ranked No. 1 in civics and citizenship by Thursday afternoon, while a ranking on the “coming soon” list alternated between No. 1 and No. 2 by Thursday afternoon.
It’s being priced at $12.99 for the paperback (discounted to $9.40 on Amazon Prime) with an e-book at $7.99.
The second book in the works will have an introduction by Washington Post investigative journalists Rosalind S. Helderman and Matt Zapotosky and be edited by Peter Finn. Simon & Schuster’s Scribner imprint will publish the tome. It’s carrying a list price of $15 and a discounted price of $10.50, which may be why it was only ranked around No. 6 in on Amazon’s “coming soon” list.
Each publisher is listing March 26 as the pub date for a paperback and an e-book — although that is by no means official. Word has been circulating since at least last November that Mueller was close to wrapping up the investigation. That drumbeat has grown louder in recent days.
“The Mueller report is the most anticipated investigative document of this century,” said Nan Graham, senior VP and publisher of Scribner.
Tony Lyons, president and publisher at Skyhorse, said of the race to publish: “Right now, it’s just the two of us, but I’m sure there will be others.”
Both publishers say they are poised to get the book out within six days of the release of a public document — if it happens.
As to the March 26 pub date, Lyons said, “It’s a placeholder date.”
Consumers won’t get billed until a book actually ships.
One complication for Skyhorse is a new controversy that has erupted around Dershowitz in the defense of the billionaire convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. A defense lawyer for one of Epstein’s victims alleged in court Wednesday that Dershowitz was involved in a sex-trafficking ring — a claim he vigorously denies. Under a 2007 plea deal with Epstein, the records had been sealed, a move that has come under renewed legal fire recently.
“I have the utmost respect for Alan Dershowitz and believe that the allegations against him are absolutely unfounded,” said Lyons. “His recent efforts to unseal the Second Circuit Court of Appeals case suggest that information contained in the case file will clear his reputation.”
Source: Read Full Article