bigfan wrote:
Does this sports yakker focus on book deals make any money?
I've wondered about this, too. My best guess is that they probably don't lose money by starting with a small printing and tying all the "author's" compensation into sales. If there's sufficient buzz, the paperback, kindle, and repurposing for magazines or websites might net a few bucks.
I think the main thing the publishers are trying to accomplish,though, is generating revenue from non-traditional sources. These guys- Chet, Pappy, whoever - are known media quantities with (at least prior to 2009) a measurable fan base. Not necessarily huge or broad, but measurable via arbitron, web hits, etc. A "win" for the publishers and the industry is to tap into the disposable income of people who normally don't drop their cash at Barnes and Noble on new releases, save for gifts, etc. Artie Lange's book, "Too Fat to Fish," debuted at # 1 on the NYT bestseller list, not so much because it was a greatly reviewed or anticipated book, but because it brought a lot of non-bibliophile Howard Stern fans back to the bookstore and Amazon.
This is not a value judgement, or a swipe at anyone. I don't buy too many books for myself, and most that I do are by dead people. I just think the publishers are trying to increase or maintain relevance by looking around for different eyeballs.