Bloomberg's Politics Delays His Writing

With the New York City Council approving a revision to the term limits law for top officials clearing the primary obstacle to Mayor Mike Bloomberg's hopes of running for re-election, the next phase for author Michael Bloomberg has been put on hold.

Originally announced for publication this fall by Perseus's Vanguard Press and then shifted to a February 2009 release, Bloomberg's book DO THE HARD THINGS FIRST "is being delayed due to changed circumstances" as the publisher started informing accounts today. They said they "will announce a new publication schedule when it is determined."

Promotional copy for the book quotes Bloomberg saying: "Over the course of both my private and public sector careers, I've learned a set of rules that I believe offer guidance that people of all professions will find useful. In this book, I've summed up these rules and my experience in how to follow them: from how to build a first-rate team, to create the conditions for innovation, and to know when to say yes to your customers and when to say no."

While the delay is a disappointment for the publisher, they do have another well-known businessman appearing on their spring list. Not broadly publicized yet but displayed and on offer at Frankfurt from Vanguard is Donald Trump's THINK LIKE A CHAMPION: An Informal Education in Business and Life. Written with his frequent collaborator Meredith McIver, the book collects essays on a wide variety of topics that were originally part of his Trump University program.

Publishing in April 2009, Vanguard has an announced 250,000-copy first printing for the book.

This story from Publishers Lunch overnight.