| Subject: RE: Anonymous/ RE: Rules re media |
| From: "Finch, Katie" <kfinch@amazon.com> |
| Date: 9/29/11, 18:56 |
| To: Gregg Housh <greggatghc@gmail.com>, "Cheiffetz, Julia" <juliac@amazon.com> |
| CC: Daniel Conaway <dconaway@writershouse.com>, Barrett Brown <barriticus@gmail.com> |
I actually feel that the more you keep doing the kind of interviews you describe below (interpretation of events) and the more aware the general public is of Anonymous, the better for the book. The issue of course is when we are approaching pub date, we don’t want to cannibalize our media outlets who we want to commit to book-specific coverage. As long as the book is not a part of the current conversation, and it doesn’t sound like it is, then Godspeed.
From: Gregg Housh [mailto:greggatghc@gmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2011 6:08 PM
To: Cheiffetz, Julia
Cc: Daniel Conaway; Barrett Brown; Finch, Katie
Subject: Re: Anonymous/ RE: Rules re media
Media is actually what I do though? I understand the idea here. But what I am saying is that my main role at this point in everything going on is that I interpret for the media when events happen. I go on the show or talk to the newspaper reporter and help them get the story right. It is basically a part time job, even though it doesnt pay. I do this nearly every day.
I had agreed to go on NPR (which I have been on twice before,) it was actually supposed to be today, but they wanted a longer interview than just 30 minutes. So they rescheduled for monday. Its for Here and Now.
I am not saying we cant do something about this, I am just stating where we are currently. I am happy to work out a solution.
On Thu, Sep 29, 2011 at 5:54 PM, Cheiffetz, Julia <juliac@amazon.com> wrote:
I’m ccing Katie Finch the head of publicity at Amazon publishing.
It is my strong preference (because I believe it will optimize book sales) that you guys hold off on doing any and all media.
Who is the interview with?
J
From: Daniel Conaway [mailto:dconaway@WritersHouse.com]
Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2011 5:58 PM
To: Cheiffetz, Julia; 'Gregg Housh'; Barrett Brown
Subject: Rules re media
I just spoke w/ Gregg, who mentioned that he’ll be doing a radio interview next week that was scheduled weeks and weeks ago. Gregg has no trouble getting media, and has already committed to this conversation, but I thought it would make sense for them to hear from you what YOU want Barrett and Gregg to be thinking about going forward. BOTH of them are frequently queried about Anonymous-related activities; Barrett is involved with a research project into the HP Gary case, for instance; so I don’t think it’s going to be practical to suggest (or enforce) a muzzle… But obviously there need to be some guidelines.
Julia will supply Rules #2 - #10… Let me start w/ Rule #1: I strongly suggest that you refrain from answering ANY substantial questions about the book itself—don’t say anything about its content, nor its timing, nor (of course) the advance etc… MY preference would be that you both stick to a stock answer, something about how your obnoxious agent has told you not to talk about the book, and /or that you’ll let the book speak for itself. Likewise there might be some people wanting to get you to comment on Amazon—here again, a stock answer about how excited we are to be working with such a forward-thinking publisher, blah blah blah. The point is, if you say too much now about what’s going to be in the book, there may be less a sense of newness when the book itself arrives.
Julia, your thoughts? (As a separate matter, J: how will you guys be handling publicity, and is there somebody ELSE who should be looped into this conversation at some point?)
-Dan
Dan Conaway
Literary Agent
Writers House