Login  |  Register          Free Newsletter Subscription
Email
Print
Reprint
Learn RSS

PW: Hot Deals: Cancer Drug News Leads to Book Controversy

Judy Quinn -- Publishers Weekly, 5/11/1998

 [ PW Home ] [ Bestsellers ] [ Subscribe ] [ Search ]

Advertisement
Publishers WeeklyNews

Hot Deals: Cancer Drug News Leads to Book Controversy
Judy Quinn -- 5/11/98


Editors wanting to tie into hot medical topics have had to deal with a one-two punch of newsbreaks lately, with the impotency pill Viagra (see Book Beat) and now the cancer-cure findings of Boston researcher Dr. F. Judah Folkman. Last Monday, several publishers received an e-mail pitch from agent John Brockman on behalf of one of his clients, New York Times science writer Gina Kolata, proposing a book on Folkman's research. But the following day, Brockman withdrew the proposal, telling editors that Kolata didn't want to be involved in the "media circus" that had erupted, epitomized by a Los Angeles Times article, published the next day, that criticized media hyping of still-preliminary medical advances and implied Kolata planned her Times story on the research on Sunday to precede the Monday book proposal. Brockman told PW it was his idea to pitch the book after reading Kolata's article. But complicating the matter further was a rival proposal, by Newsday science reporter Robert Cooke, that included an endorsement letter from Folkman promising cooperation with Cooke, who has been tracking Folkman's research since the 1970s. While awaiting Cooke's return from a vacation before submitting the proposal, agent Faith Hamlin decided to go ahead and submit it Monday after reading Kolata's article; by Wednesday she accepted a rumored seven-figure preempt by Random House's Scott Moyers for the book.

Back To News
--->
 Search | Bestsellers | News | Features | Children's Books | Bookselling
 Interview | Industry Update | International | Classifieds | Authors On the Highway
 About PW | Subscribe
Copyright 2000. Publishers Weekly. All rights reserved.

 

Email
Print
Reprint
Learn RSS

Talkback

We would love your feedback!

Post a comment

» VIEW ALL TALKBACK THREADS

Related Content

Related Content

 

PW PARTNERS


 
Advertisement

More Content

  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Photos

Blogs


Sorry, no blogs are active for this topic.

» VIEW ALL BLOGS RSS

Photos

» VIEW ALL GALLERIES
» VIEW FEATURED GALLERY
Advertisements






NEWSLETTERS

Click on a title below to learn more.

PW Daily
Religion BookLine
Children's Bookshelf
PW Comics Week
©2008 Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Use of this Web site is subject to its Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
Please visit these other Reed Business sites