Millions for fluff, while serious books get a "nice" deal

A terrific post by Frances Dinkelspiel, contrasting the amount of money paid to a historian (a real one -- not The Historian) for a serious book on Sacco and Vanzetti with the million dollars paid to a rich girl for a fluffy novel about a male nanny (titled, of course, The Manny.)

She manages to be respectful to both authors but concludes:

If I am any way typical, enjoying both serious nonfiction and lighthearted chick lit, I should rejoice in America's ability to juggle both genres successfully. But these deals actually depress me. It's a reminder of how this culture values entertainment above everything else. Yes, I know that sales of books like Peterson's make sales of books like Boyle's possible. Yes, I know there is room for both. But I am waiting for the day when a publisher pays $1 million to a historian.

Probably around the same time the Pentagon has that bake sale to raise money for an aircraft carrier.

Frances Dinkelspiel, Kevin Boyle, Holly Peterson, book deals, publishing