It’s a slim book and more general than critical, but Kaylene Johnson’s biography of Sarah, published this spring by Epicenter, will no doubt get a major boost from the news as well. Here is the direct link to Epicenter’s page on the book. We know that Ms. Johnson wrote the book in record time, at short notice, but it may have a longer shelf life than anticipated. An update: today at 12:32 Johnson’s SARAH was at about a 164 rank on Amazon. Wonder how high it will go by the end of the day?
Another update: here’s the first chapter in case you need more Sarah facts right now. To Outside readers: do you realize our governor gave birth in April, and it wasn’t until the last minute that people even knew she was pregnant? This lady knows how to keep a secret.
Slim book–what else can you say about the former mayor of Wasilla
And now her amazon ranking, at 2:21pm, is at 40. Will it become a top 10? I don’t know why I am having such fun with this, but I am.
I’ve gone from being a writer obsessed with tracking my own sales data to a blogger obsessed with tracking other people’s data. What is this world coming to?
And now she’s at the #24 spot, just behind the American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). Go Kaylene!
Some news reporters say they’d rather talk to the original choice for biographer who was ousted and Kaylene Johnson brought in with a resulting very close deadline…..hmmmm, is there a story there? I heard KJ give a talk on her speedy writing of this book and who would talk to her and who wouldn’t–now close to a bestseller!!
Now you’re talking. But will that “ousted biographer” speak? Was he/she actually “ousted” or did he/she leave of his/her own volition and if so, why? Might he/she be visiting this blog at any point and want to add a few words? The plot thickens.
P.S. to the first biographer — anonymity guaranteed if you decide to dish! Aw, come on…
hmmmm, what shall I say….here is an interesting article from the Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/aug/29/johnmccain.uselections2008
I don’t know who is posting this, but thanks for pointing it out. Congrats to Amanda Coyne on getting space in the Guardian! This piece looks like the same piece that ran in Amanda and Tony’s ALASKA DISPATCH, which has been running lots of Sarah news and views. Use the link on my blog homepage to get there. Thanks for writing!
Pre-Kaylene biographer? No secret: the Alaska Ear column in the Daily News reports 9-7-08: “Didn’t Alaska reporter Amanda Coyne have the original contract with Epicenter Press to do the book and bow out?” Yes, she did.
Thanks for sharing that, Kay! I’d love to hear Amanda’s version of the biography. I think if she weren’t busy with about 10,000 other journalistic challenges we’d wrestle her to the ground and make her answer some of our questions.
I would like to hear Amanda’s version, too–and learn if the rumors of why she backed out 10 weeks before deadline were really because of being too busy, or, as some reporters suggest, not being able to tell the story like she saw it–Kaylene’s is seen as toeing the Sarah line very closely, but time and access and permission to print what she heard may have determined all that.
Local Cybergrrl Aliza Sherman heard the same talk by KJ as I did and is right on target about the nitty gritty–and the word “fired” about the first biographer is in there
http://tinyurl.com/4tm6mu
No idea how very late comments stay in the loop–but for what it’s worth…