NY publishers dig into miners' story

Proposal from Guardian reporter makes the rounds; New York Times reporter may also weigh in. Some publishers wonder if the tale is already overexposed.
Crain's - By Matthew Flamm

The 33 Chilean miners emerging from their two-month underground ordeal may soon be landing book and television deals of their own, but in the meantime, journalists are racing to tell their story.

On Wednesday, New York editors were mulling a proposed book by Jonathan Franklin, who has been covering the rescue saga for the Guardian newspaper in the UK. In addition, literary agent Esther Newberg of ICM has been in contact with publishers about a possible book by Alexei Barrionuevo, who has been on the scene for The New York Times.

Mr. Franklin's book, 33 Men, Buried Alive: The Inside Story of the Trapped Chilean Miners, sold earlier this week to British publisher Transworld. Manhattan literary agency Inkwell Management sent out a short proposal to New York houses on Tuesday.

Mr. Franklin, who has been based in Chile for the past 16 years, clearly has the head start. Rights for the book have been sold in several territories in Europe, and the author is shooting to deliver the manuscript by mid-December, with publication scheduled for early in 2011.

Full report at Crain's.
Photo credit - The Guardian.