These people are scum, and it is unbelievable the depths they will sink to:
Now that Sen. Hillary Clinton’s book has topped out at the 600,000 sales range, Clinton and her supporters seem to have found a way to keep the book sales coming. Clinton’s Senate staff and schedulers have made it clear to her Democratic Senate colleagues and groups interested in having her appear at fundraisers that she will only attend if copies of her books are either purchased in bulk for free distribution at the event or her books are made available for purchase while she is in attendance.
“They told me Mrs. Clinton will be more than happy to sign all the books and that she would spend plenty of time with those people who bought them,” says a publicity director for a Washington-based nonprofit who inquired about a possible appearance by Clinton early next fall. “It wasn’t like they were telling me we had to have the books, but the underlying message seemed to be, if we want a commitment, a promise of the book sales would help us get her.”
Further confirmation of Clinton’s people seeking a quid pro quo would be her planned appearances at fundraisers for Barbara Boxer, Patty Murray, and Blanche Lincoln, all up for re-election in 2004. All three will be selling copies of Clinton’s book and she will be appearing at all three events with the express purpose of signing them.
Also, the Democratic National Committee is negotiating not with the publisher Simon and Schuster, but with several local Washington, D.C. bookstores for purchases of Clinton’s book which would possibly be used as premiums for donors. “We haven’t worked it out yet, but we think by going through the bookstores the sales would be reflected not as bulk and would insure Senator Clinton would have a long stay at the top of the bestseller lists,” says a DNC staffer.
It’s expected that Clinton will emerge in the top slot of the New York Times latest bestseller lists. And Democrats have made keeping her on top a priority throughout the summer.
Scum. If this is 100% accurate, this has to be illegal.
(via Ipse Dixit)
M. Scott Eiland
Probably not illegal, but certainly worthy of mockery–it rather closely resembles the scam that Jim Wright was pulling that Next Gingrich used to send him skating off into retirement. Wonder how much the DNC is going to sink into Hillary’s Little Red Book?
Robin Roberts
It does indeed smell of the scam Jim Wright used to attempt to circumvent HR ethics restrictions on outside income.
MommaBear
but is anyone surprised…Arkansas lawyers are notorious for finding ways around rules!
Brandon
I don’t it’s not illegal. She’s just asked her collegues to pay her if they want her to campaign for them.
Andrew Lazarus
The ‘buy in bulk’ is strange, but certainly not requiring that the speaker’s book be available for purchase. (Purchase isn’t required to attend, is it?) I’ve seen a couple of speaker contracts, and that clause was in them, along with things like “two bottles of vodka, in a water pitcher”. No, that wasn’t a politician.
the talking dog
Look– I despise the woman; I voted against her just because it was her. I would have voted for ANYONE (including BILL Clinton, who I also despise) instead of her. Certainly, the idiot Long Island Congressman Lazio was good enough. (Of course, the “I’m not Hillary” campaign proved as successful as the Democrats “we’re not Republicans” campaign in mid-terms, but there you go. So what?
This book thing is merely distasteful and untoward– but it doesn’t even sound a LITTLE bit illegal. If groups want the senator to appear and speak, they’ll just have to make her money LEGALLY– by buying her damned book. And everybody knows about it. If, knowing it, you still want her in the same room as you– God bless!
That’s the free market of ideas and the free market of United States Senators. Hillary’s just being a lot more creepy, yet is still pretty above-board about it than many of her GOP colleagues (Newt jumps right to mind). Look–she and Bill were liberal darlings, but in the end, I was always onto them as proud members of the dark side. And they have millions of dollars between them now to prove me right!
John Cole
Dog- Senators are not allowed to receive compensation for speaking events, I do not believe. Thus, buying her book in bulk as a requirement for her to speak is illegally funneling her money via royalties. It may be miniscule, but a bribe is a bribe.
Ricky
Coulter just surpassed Hillary on Amazon with her unreleased book.
The next two weeks of blogging are gonna be fun!
Andrew Lazarus
I just read the blurb for Coulter’s book. It’s really a tie-in with the #1 seller (Harry Potter), but recounting American History from Voldemort’s point of view.
Barney Gumble
Here’s a little mystery:
Amazon Sales Ranks
Hillary Clintons Book = 4
Ann Coulter’s Book = 3
Barnes and Noble Sales Ranks
Hillary Clintons Book = 3
Ann Coulter’s Book = 22
As Arsenio used to say, one of those things that makes you say hmmmm.
laria dalton
Like the Hannity book wasn’t purchased in bulk to give away as a rightwing nut premium
you get up on your moral high horse but then you don’t know what to do. Never were your situational ethics more apparant
The Oreilly best sellers all purchased in bulk and given away on the ..ta da Oreilly web site
You are listing to the right again
or should I say as usual
John Cole
Hannity isn’t a Senator, nitwit, not that your assertion is even true.
platosearwax
Not related to the debate about whether this is a Senator getting paid through a backdoor (interesting question, that) but this kind of thing takes place all the time. It is pretty well known among people who follow the antics of Scientology that Dianetics maintians its place on best seller lists because Scientologists buy multiple, multiple copies.
Barney Gumble
What I find ludicrous is the notion that Hillary, a lawyer and one of the most investigated people in history, hasn’t vetted everything she does eight different ways from sunday.
Sweet Lou
On the bright side, it indicates that there should be a plentiful supply of reasonably priced (like free) Hillary Clinton autobiographies hitting the second hand book shops in about six months, many of them signed.
Reviews indicate it is not much for reading. Any ideas on alternative uses for a large number of heavy hardbacks?
Building materials? Energy Source? A new form of ordnance to drop on our next enemy? A new type of ship, or a platform for undersea oil exploration?
Sweet Lou
On the bright side, it indicates that there should be a plentiful supply of reasonably priced (like free) Hillary Clinton autobiographies hitting the second hand book shops in about six months, many of them signed.
Reviews indicate it is not much for reading. Any ideas on alternative uses for a large number of heavy hardbacks?
Building materials? Energy Source? A new form of ordnance to drop on our next enemy? A new type of ship, or a platform for undersea oil exploration?
Sweet Lou
Sorry for double post.
laria dalton
Hannity’s books were purchased in bulk and given away as premiums
What difference does it make if she is a senator. The contract was signed prior to her taking office.
I guess because you consider your self a humorist that facts are not important to you.
laria dalton
For example is she getting a per copy royalty or were all her fees paid up front? Can you answer that question bozo?
Hannity and Oreilly and all the other of your rightwing nut friends have their books as premiums for the subscriptions to various rightwing screeds
You have no idea what you are talking about and it is evident.
John Cole
Laria-
OF course she will be getting a royalty- thus, each book sold increases her personal wealth. That is the problem. THis is the same thing as as the Wright scandal.
I don;t care what Hannity is doing- I expect more out of my ELECTED officials. So does the Senate, which has an ethics committee.
Also, you know-nothing twerp, I can not stand O’Reilly, and I never watch Hannity, so I am not sure how their behavior is somehow a reflection on me. I don;t really consider myself a far right conservative. At any rate, you would know that if you read anything I wrote. Now go piss on someone elses leg.
laria dalton
Of course she is getting a royalty
do you have access to the contract?
John Cole
Laria, you knucklehead, if she is getting a royalty, and requiring people to buy her book before she goes to events, thus enhancing her own personal wealth, she is most likely in violation of Senate ethics rules. Knowing the exact percentage from her contract is irrelevant.
The Senate has strict rules of outside income- which is why Clinton sleazily took the 8 million bonus in between being elected and being sworn in. Remember that?
Laria Dalton
Now you’re talking…I think she is completely prepaid and no money is involved at this point but it was unfortunately not much remarked on at the time -the speed and payment to avoid the Senate rules. She is a practioner of situational ethics.
But not this time. This is something else. She may as a part of the 8 mil be required to tour and sell.
Not good but sort of the difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion.
Andrew Lazarus
John, what does Sen McCain do with his royalties? (I have no idea.)
Andrew Lazarus
John, what does Sen McCain do with his royalties? (I have no idea.)
John Cole
I don;t know, but if he is requiring people to buy his book in bulk in order for him to speak somewhere, and is generating personal revenue that way, his ass should be on the line, too.
Andrew Lazarus
I’m not happy with the buy-in-bulk strategy, not because I think it’s illegal, but because I think it’s really tacky. Insisting that the book be available for sale is, if not SOP, at least pretty common. I don’t have any problem with that.
Devon
I can think of 8 million things I would rather do- like chew glass, or get a mammogram- than PAY to read Billary’s carefully crafted 8 million dollar manifesto. I just don’t care. What’s next? The Clintons in a tv reality show together?
M. Scott Eiland
“It is pretty well known among people who follow the antics of Scientology that Dianetics maintians its place on best seller lists because Scientologists buy multiple, multiple copies.”
Well, if the Scientologists ever want to buy a Senator, they know who to go to–and they’ll even know in advance that Hillary will have a substantial number of supporters who don’t mind seeing her make money this way (or, from past observation, any other way). After thirty years as the high priestess of the cult of Bill, Scientology shouldn’t faze Hillary.
Dodd
Laria is an idiot. The 8 million dollars was an *advance*. I will explain to her (?) how that works (in very small words, of course). The publisher pays author a chunk of money before the book is written (Hillary!’s 8 million). When it gets published, the author’s royalties pay that sum back to the publisher. Any part of that 8 mill which she doesn’t recoup through sales of her book she has to pay back.
As to the buying in bulk thing, I believe the reason the DNC wants to avoid that is because bulk sales *don’t* contribute to bestseller rank (to prevent artificially inflated sales totals; just what they’re trying to do by acquiring them from bookstores).
I believe Senators can receive small speaking fees and that requiring her book to be available at spekaing events is perfectly legal. I’m sure it falls within the technical limits of the Senate’s ethics rules (IOW, Barney is probably right – had to happen sometime, I suppose). But, as Arthur put it, it’s incredibly tacky. Not that such concerns have ever stood between a Clinton and buck (or a- never mind).
Andrew Lazarus
Dodd, you are wrong on advances. As long as the author submits the book, and leaving aside some special cases like libelous or plagiarized material, the advance is the author’s to keep. However, the author doesn’t get any MORE royalties until they exceed the advance (which might take years, or often forever). A good question is whether $8MM is so large an advance that it could never be reached, but the book is selling well. We’ll see if Clarence Thomas’s book, which went for over $1MM, does too.
My brother and my wife are both authors, and in the latter case, I do our taxes. Last year her first book sold one copy. As there was no advance, we got $1.40.
cj
It seems to me that, unless you have actually read Hillary’s contract, applying “usual case” royalty arrangements is moot.
I imagine that Hillary received a set amount of dollars, probably not the full $8 mil reported, and any additional sales apply to the full $8 mil. But this, as everyone’s comments on the contract, is pure speculation.
I imagine, rather than cold hard cash, the requirement by Hillary to have available her book during speaking engagements is more important to long-term sales figures (ie, Gee! She’s STILL on the bestseller lists!), and, I hazard, that Hillary simply wants as many people as possible to read her book.
It is, I’ve heard (again, speculation, as I refuse to buy and/or read anything by the Clintons) her political manifesto, her non- mea culpa, and her continuing 15 min of fame.
Re: the orig post, who are the “democrats” who have “made keeping her on top a priority throughout the summer”?
HH
For the billionth time, O’Reilly and Hannity are not senators.
gtnoah
Whether you lean left or right, love Hillary or love Ann Coulter, it doesn;t change the fact that none of this debate matters unless individual people buy the book in stores, which they are doing in large numbers for both books. There will always be those willing to slam the left for the appearance of impropriety or willing to slam the right because of the Coulters and Limbaughs of the world. In the end, though, it should be the content of the books that’s talked about, shouldn’t it? I mean, isn’t that the point? Both of these authors are rich and will get richer — nothing exceptionally new in history — so how about let’s start a debate about their books’ talking points instead?
Ken
The bulk buying of leftwing books by the Democratic Party is going on as we speak. I happened to walk local Dems campaign site the other day, and they were literally giving away copies of Franken’s new book to bypassers who probably couldn’t care less about the content…