From Publishers Lunch today:

Short Stories
Two forthcoming books make the gossip columns. Andrew Morton's book on Angelina Jolie alleges that she slept with her mom's boyfriend when she was 16. And pre-release excerpts from Andre Agassi's book indicate he says he "unwittingly" took crystal meth once in 1997 when he drank from a soda that his assistant had spiked with the substance (and lied to tennis authorities about it).

In the face of speculation that an extension of the sale option granted to Lonely Planet founders Tony and Maureen Wheeler on their remaining 25 percent stake in the publisher means the BBC is preparing to sell the unit, the broadcaster said it "has no plans to sell the highly successful Lonely Planet travel information business. It is not up for sale full stop."

(For the suspicious, "no plans" is a classic open-door denial phrase.)Alice Munro, 78, said at a literary event in Toronto that she "just had cancer" but the context was a celebration of how she has "been lucky with her health" compared to her parents. "I think we are lucky now in the kind of medical intervention that keeps us going."

Canadian PressCrown executive editor Heather Jackson reports that having "thoroughly enjoyed my nearly two decades in publishing," she has resigned in order to work independently on a broader canvas. "My plans are to create and produce content in other media, as well as keep a hand on a few editorial projects each year."

Palin Discloses $1.25 Million from HarperCollins
In a disclosure form required under Alaska law covering her final months in office, from January through July 26, 2009, former governor Sarah Palin listed as income $1.25 million received from HarperCollins as a "retainer for book." You can do your own math as to which portion of the contractual guarantee that might cover. Palin's deal with Harper was announced in May.Alaska Politics Blog.
Photo credit -

Kaare Sorensen/kaaresorensen.dk