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
Don’t Miss Another Big Story—Get Our Weekend Newsletter
Our most popular stories of the week, sent every Saturday.
Most Popular in News & Politics
Here’s What I Wish I’d Known Before I Went to a Nats Game
Joe Manchin’s Houseboat: 5 Things
These Are the Most Influential People in the DC-Area Weed Business
A Big DC Sports Club Is Going to Pay a $100,000 Fine for Covid-Safety Violations
You Can See a Pair of Million-Dollar Koenigsegg Hypercars in Northern Virginia This Weekend
Washingtonian Magazine
March 2021: The Influencers
View IssueSubscribe
Get Us on Social
Get Us on Social
Related
Washingtonian’s Most-Read Posts of 2020
Video From Fall Real Estate Market Update With Local Leaders
Washingtonian Real Estate Virtual Happy Hour
Videos from Washingtonian’s Wellness Day
More from News & Politics
Weed Will Be Legal in Virginia by Summer. Here Are the Rules.
DC Statehood Bill HR 51 Has Passed in the House
Climate Activists Dumped Cow Poop Near the White House. The City Had to Clean It Up.
Secrets of “Secrets of the Whales”: Emotional Encounters, Expert Producers, and Really Huge Poop
Here’s What I Wish I’d Known Before I Went to a Nats Game
How to See the Lyrids Meteor Shower Around DC Tonight
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer on the Fight for DC Statehood
No, the Washington Metro Region Still Doesn’t Have Great Air Quality