Word: simonal
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
That pitiless gaze was focused on Nancy Reagan last week by Kitty Kelley, America's premier slash biographer. The resulting furor caused even some die- hard Nancy haters to feel a sympathetic twinge or two for the former First Lady. Nancy Reagan: The Unauthorized Biography (Simon & Schuster) went on sale across the nation just as newspapers and TV newscasts began to revel in the book's most sensational allegations. Many bookstores sold out their copies within hours. Aggrieved parties cried foul, Johnny Carson made jokes and guardians of journalistic integrity shook their heads. The New York Times, which trumpeted...
...orchestrated public relations buildup. Unlike most major books, which are released to reviewers weeks or months in advance of publication, Kelley's manuscript was carefully withheld from the press. During editing, only five copies of the manuscript were printed; each was numbered and kept track of at all times. Simon & Schuster staff members even took copies home at night to guard against leaks. One special reader got the book a month in advance: cartoonist Garry Trudeau was allowed an early peek so he could prepare a week's worth of Doonesbury strips to coincide with the book's release...
...crowds rushing to buy the book were bigger than anyone could have anticipated. In one day the entire first printing of 600,000 had been shipped; by week's end 925,000 copies were in print. Said Simon & Schuster publisher Jack McKeown: "Booksellers are telling us it's the fastest-selling book they've ever experienced." Enthused Matthew Goldberg, merchandise manager for the Doubleday chain: "It's not only hot, it's supernova...
Next, Kitty wanted to take on an easy target, Liz Taylor, but Stuart balked. Kitty aced herself out of her contract with him, took her proposal to Simon & Schuster, got an advance of $150,000 and in 1981 produced another prurient best seller...
...physicist Alexander Simon has everything, including the Theory of Everything. His new, Nobel-size hypothesis ties up the movement of the tides and the invisible violence of the atom, the phenomenon of light and the drag of gravity. If only this young Einstein were a think-tank nerd, he could insulate himself from the challenges of academic inquiry and worldwide publicity...