Blagojevich lands six-figure book deal
'6-FIGURE DEAL' | Publisher promises disgraced former governor's political tell-all will explain 'how the horses are traded'
Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich is vowing to expose "the dark side of politics that he witnessed in both the state and national level" in a book due out later this year, his publicist announced Monday.
The publicist, Glenn Selig, said Blagojevich signed the "six-figure book deal" with Phoenix Books, run by "maverick publisher" Michael Viner. The Governor is the working title.
(Richard A. Chapman/Sun-Times file)
Hours before the press release about the Blagojevich book came out, one of Blagojevich's chief critics, state Rep. Jack Franks (D-Woodstock), announced a move to bar the impeached ex-governor from cashing in on the deal if he winds up being convicted of federal charges.
Franks' bill would cover any book or movie deals that detail a crime for which the elected official was convicted. Any profits derived from such deals would have to be turned over to the state of Illinois.
Franks said he presumes that House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) will "be interested in moving" the legislation, which Franks said is patterned after laws that states passed in the 1980s to stave off potential book deals for New York serial killer David Berkowitz, known as the "Son of Sam."
"I just wanted to make sure people who self deal and who are not giving the citizens their best efforts should not benefit from it," Franks said. "It's pretty simple."
Franks said he submitted his legislation Friday before word of Blagojevich's book deal became known. "I'm going to make this one of my priorities," he said.
Viner, the Phoenix Books president, said Blagojevich's book would hit shelves in November or December. That means it could precede Blagojevich's likely court date, and whatever details the former governor does spill could be used against him in court.
"He needs to worry about it, not us," Viner said.
Viner added there's plenty more Blagojevich has to say that the former governor didn't reveal in countless media interviews in the weeks surrounding his impeachment.
"It's the insider's view of not only Chicago politics, but politics in general," Viner said. "How the horses are traded, the options that are looked at."
Viner didn't say exactly how much the governor could make but confirmed it would be in the six figures.
The former governor, according to Selig's news release, will write about the discussions and the considerations involved in picking President Obama's successor in the U.S. Senate.
Blagojevich "chose to go with a large independent company because he wanted to tell his story without any restrictions over content that might've come with a major publishing house," Selig said in the release. "He simply did not want to accept constraints or conditions on what he could say in this book."
Selig said Blagojevich won't "pull any punches" and plans to "reveal information and provide insights that will at times be embarrassing to himself as well as to others."
"There were some people in high places who didn't want the governor to write this book and worked to try to squash a book deal," Selig said.