AP study, Pelosi memoir raise new questions on Murphy book deal

A recent study by the Associated Press of Presidential candidate book deals, and the timing of an announcement of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to publish her memoirs, are raising new questions about freshman Democrat Patrick Murphy’s sweetheart deal to publish his life story, Majority Accountability Project (www.majorityap.com) research has found.

Bill Richardson was 35 years old when he was elected to Congress representing New Mexico’s 3^rd district. He served in the House of Representatives for 14 years, where he gained a spot in Democrat leadership as Chief Deputy Whip. He earned a reputation as a skillful negotiator, and secured the release of American prisoners held in North Korea and Iraq during two separate diplomatic missions.

In recognition of that service, President Bill Clinton tapped Richardson to serve as Ambassador to the United Nations and, later, Secretary of Energy. Richardson was elected New Mexico Governor in 2002, and is now seeking the Democrat party nomination for President of the United States.

Richardson’s book, ''Between Worlds: The Making of an American Life,'' sold about 11,000 copies and earned Richardson as little as $15,000 in royalties last year, according to a recent study by the Associated Press.

Patrick Murphy’s book, “Taking the Hill,” hasn’t sold a single copy and already has earned the 33-year-old freshman Congressman $100,000 in an unusual deal brokered by a longtime Democrat party activist with ties to former Democratic Congressional Committee (DCCC) Chair Rahm Emanuel, D-IL.

The AP study found that while some Presidential candidates have penned best sellers, among them Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, “big book profits are not a reality for many White House hopefuls, even if they're well-known.”

"I think it's a losing proposition for most candidates in that they're not looking at those books for instant wealth," the AP quoted the publisher of Senator John McCain’s latest book. "Because most of them are not natural writers or natural storytellers. Most of them fall back on boilerplate and cliche."

“Murphy will share stories of his blue-collar Philadelphia childhood and his times as the youngest professor at West Point and a captain in the 82nd Airborne,” according to Publisher’s Weekly. “He will also take readers to the front lines in Iraq, the campaign trail in Pennsylvania and the halls of Congress. Holt holds North American rights and plans an early 2008 publication.”

The AP study found that most Presidential candidates, including GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney, have earned far less than Murphy for their memoirs. As reported in an earlier majorityap.com article, 2004 Democrat Presidential nominee John Kerry earned only $89,000 for his election year book, “A Call to Service.”

“A used copy of Kerry's book can now be found on Amazon.com for 1 cent,” the AP noted.

One candidate who fared better in the AP study is former North Carolina Senator and 2004 Vice Presidential nominee John Edwards. Edwards received a $500,000 advance for "Home: The Blueprints of Our Lives;” but according to his spokesman, “John Edwards did not receive one penny from this book. All of his proceeds went to charities.”

Murphy, who has reported personal debt as high as $765,000, kept his $100,000 advance.

Majorityap.com recently detailed earnings of a host of other Congressional authors, none of whom is a candidate for President of the United States. U.S. Senators Arlen Specter, R-PA, Trent Lott, R-MS, Chuck Schumer, D-NY, Emanuel, D-IL, and former House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, R-IL, all reported earning less than Murphy for their respective books.

Another recent author is House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who announced a deal with Doubleday to publish her memoirs. Pelosi, the first woman to serve as Speaker in United States history, is second in line to the Presidency.

While Murphy only received only “informal staff guidance” from the House ethics committee prior to his publishing deal, Pelosi is awaiting a full review by that committee. Murphy, who was a Member Elect at the time he claims to have sold his book, was not subject to a full committee review.

Pelosi is prohibited by House ethics rules from receiving an advance royalty payment, such as the one Murphy received while a Member Elect. Had Murphy been unable to sell his book prior to January, he would have been prohibited from receiving the $100,000 advance.

Curiously, Pelosi’s book was announced by Publisher’s Weekly the same day that Doubleday and Pelosi first released information about the deal. Publisher’s Weekly didn’t announce Murphy’s book until May 28, 2007, five months into his term, and the same month that Murphy first spoke about the book.

Murphy claims to have sold the book in December, five months prior to when the deal was made public. Holt Publishing, which purchased the memoir from Murphy's agent, previously had no information about the book on its website.