The Hindu : International : Clinton's book hits the stands

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Wednesday, Jun 23, 2004

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International

Clinton's book hits the stands

NEW YORK, JUNE 22. Sonny Mehta, editor-in-chief of Alfred A. Knopf, admitted to a slight case of the jitters.

He was standing off to the side of the great vaulted hall of the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday night, nursing a red wine and watching an all-star cast of more than 1,200 friends and fans of Bill Clinton, Mr. Mehta's newest showcase author.

They had gathered to celebrate the publication on Tuesday of Mr. Clinton's book, ``My Life,'' for which Mr. Mehta paid him a reported $10-million advance. Mr. Clinton, who took the stage a short while later, was hardly reassuring. He called his book advance ``ridiculous,'' and added, ``I hope my publisher gets his money back.''

Mr. Mehta is overseeing what may be the most spectacular marketing of a book in publishing history. The media has trumpeted it for days, and several stores across the country started selling it at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday.

About three dozen people lined up at the Barnes & Noble store in Manhattan, where sales began at midnight. They included former White House staff members.

At a bookstore in Washington, Politics and Prose, an estimated 1,000 people lined up to secure the first copies, along with vouchers for a signature from Mr. Clinton at a later date.

Monday night's gala at the Metropolitan was just a taste of the moveable feast to come. Guests climbed up the oceanic steps of the museum under a white tent, lined every step of the way with cameras and television crews who called out names of the passing celebrities.

The invitations were for 6:30 p.m. Perhaps aware of Mr. Clinton's penchant for late arrivals, only half of the guests had appeared by the time Mr. Clinton, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea showed up at 7:10 p.m.

Mr. Mehta finally emerged from the shadows to take the stage. He said that when he heard Mr. Clinton was writing his book in longhand, he was worried. But he declared it "a riveting personal drama" and introduced Ms. Clinton.

She noted that Mr. Mehta had said that writing books is easier for authors than the book tour, but, she said, "That's not the experience in the Clinton household," adding that Mr. Clinton's writing was illegible. Skipping over the drama of her marriage, which is dissected yet again in Mr. Clinton's book, she said, "It's a terrific book; it's a great story." She then introduced her husband, whom she identified as "Chelsea's father and my constituent."

He said he tried to make politics interesting.

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