S&S Picks Up Canceled Female POW Book

By Felicia Pride -- Publishers Weekly, 6/18/2007 7:42:00 AM

Shoshana Johnson, the first black American female soldier held as a prisoner of war in the Iraq war has found a new home for her book at Simon & Schuster's Touchstone Fireside imprint. Last month, the book, I’m Still Standing, was canceled by Kensington Publishing.

The untitled book, which is slated for publication in 2008, was acquired for S&S by editor Sulay Hernandez, who worked at Kensington when Karen Thomas, former Kensington editorial director and now executive editor at Grand Central Publishing, acquired I'm Still Standing, Johnson's account of being held for 22 days as a POW in 2003 by Iraqi forces. Johnson will submit a new manuscript to Touchstone, Hernandez said, that will be a "personal account of what this war is like from a solder's point of view as well as a personal story of her life, her friends and family, and her unwavering faith in life and humanity."

Kensington canceled Johnson's original book and demanded the return of her advance, claiming that she was in violation of the contract because of her failure to obtain proper photo releases. Johnson's agent, Craig Wiley of the Craig Wiley Agency, said that his client has since reached an "agreeable settlement with Kensington." Johnson disputed Kensington's account and counterclaimed that Kensington wanted her to include a stronger religious angle than she was comfortable with, in addition to personal conversations she had with her fellow POWs that she considered private.