A couple of book industry deals worth noting. First, Jon Meacham has made an acquisition for Random House — and his first as a book editor: Al Gore.
Meacham, the former editor of Newsweek, has acquired the rights to Gore’s next, yet-to-be-titled book, which will be focused on "political, social and economic “ forces that are shaping the world and the nation."
The book — Gore’s third following “An Inconvenient Truth” (Rodale) and “The Assault on Reason” (Penguin) — is slated for release in 2012. Financial terms were not disclosed.
“No one has done more to raise global awareness about climate change,''
Meacham said, adding: "From social media to political extremism, Gore is turning his attention to an even broader array of issues. He has always discerned trends and truths before much of the rest of the world.''
Gore, chairman of Current TV, said he wants the book to “start a conversation about the large-scale drivers of change that are defining and shaping our future — from the rapid development and integration of radically new technologies to the planet-changing impact of the climate crisis, to poverty, globalization, and the democratization of knowledge accompanying the emergence of a ubiquitous internet linking ever more intelligent devices.” (Gore, if you didn’t know, invented the internet.)
Random House hired Meacham, who authored a book on Andrew Jackson, as an executive editor last fall.
Meanwhile, John Wayne’s family has given the green light to the first authorized book on the Hollywood legend. Only one problem: it’s a photo book.
The book will be published by Brooklyn-based powerHouse Books this fall.
"[Their] commitment to quality and innovation and their respect for both John Wayne the icon and the man that made it possible for us to enter into this agreement," John Wayne’s son Ethan said in a statement. "As the first-ever authorized book on John Wayne, my family is looking forward to sharing the myriad of personal memories and never-before-seen images that will comprise this unique representation of our father's life."
