Alaska’s Republican governor, Sarah Palin, has retained DC Democratic power player Robert Barnett to sell her presumed memoir of the 2008 campaign. The expected seven-figure book advance will make it easier for Palin to pay for travel to the “lower 48” for political events and then a presidential run.
The book could put Palin into a 2012 race with President Obama, who used the same lawyer and the same strategy—a big advance and a book—in part to back his early campaign efforts.
During the 2008 Democratic campaign, Barnett represented Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and John Edwards, and 2012 could turn into another Barnett-vs.-Barnett race.
The Palin account could turn out to be very lucrative for Barnett. In addition to the advance he’s expected to get for the Alaska governor, Barnett also may try to sell a book for her daughter, Bristol Palin, who recently gave an interview to Fox News host Greta Van Susteren about the burdens of teen pregnancy.
A political-daughter book wouldn’t be a first for Barnett; he convinced publishers to give Mary Cheney a sizable advance for a book about her life in Republican politics as a lesbian, and he sold Jenna Bush’s young-adult book. He also once sold a compilation of letters to Socks and Buddy, the Clintons’ late pets.
This article first appeared in the April 2009 issue of The Washingtonian. For more articles from that issue, click here.
Palins Get Ready to Spill
Alaska’s Republican governor, Sarah Palin, has retained DC Democratic power player Robert Barnett to sell her presumed memoir of the 2008 campaign. The expected seven-figure book advance will make it easier for Palin to pay for travel to the “lower 48” for political events and then a presidential run.
The book could put Palin into a 2012 race with President Obama, who used the same lawyer and the same strategy—a big advance and a book—in part to back his early campaign efforts.
During the 2008 Democratic campaign, Barnett represented Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and John Edwards, and 2012 could turn into another Barnett-vs.-Barnett race.
The Palin account could turn out to be very lucrative for Barnett. In addition to the advance he’s expected to get for the Alaska governor, Barnett also may try to sell a book for her daughter, Bristol Palin, who recently gave an interview to Fox News host Greta Van Susteren about the burdens of teen pregnancy.
A political-daughter book wouldn’t be a first for Barnett; he convinced publishers to give Mary Cheney a sizable advance for a book about her life in Republican politics as a lesbian, and he sold Jenna Bush’s young-adult book. He also once sold a compilation of letters to Socks and Buddy, the Clintons’ late pets.
This article first appeared in the April 2009 issue of The Washingtonian. For more articles from that issue, click here.
More>> Capital Comment Blog | News & Politics | Society Photos
Most Popular in News & Politics
What It Felt Like for a Virginia Marching Band to Win Metallica’s Contest
Meet the 2023 Washingtonians of the Year
What’s IN and OUT in DC Restaurant Trends for 2024
Introducing 8 of DC’s Most Stylish
Washingtonian Magazine
May 2024: Great Getaways
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
13 Major Concerts and Music Festivals in the DC Area This Spring
Mary Timony on Her Emotional New Album, “Untame the Tiger”
The Beatles in DC: A New Exhibit in Maryland Looks Back on Early Beatlemania
Northern Virginia High School Wins Metallica’s Marching Band Competition
More from News & Politics
Will Jayden Daniels Solve the Commanders’ Woes? NFL Draft History Offers Clues.
DC Area College Students Protest Gaza War at George Washington University Encampment
Here Are the Celebrities Coming to Town for the White House Correspondents Dinner
Insomnia Cookies, Picnic Blankets: Waiting in Line for Trump’s Supreme Court Case
PHOTOS: Demonstrators Gather Outside the Supreme Court as It Hears Arguments on Emergency Abortion Case
DC’s Coolest Jobs: A Jazz Detective. Orchid Whisperer. Armageddon Stopper.
Seven Miles of Georgia Avenue Will Have a Bus-Only Lane This Summer
What We’ll Miss (or Won’t Miss) About Foxtrot