IP Picks🔎: Extinct Killers Return, Cleopatra's Tomb and a Little Romance
âž• What book sales say about audiences' appetite for all things politics
Welcome to The Optionist, where hope springs anew with what appears to be a good settlement to the WGA strike. Let’s hope this is a strong template for SAG-AFTRA’s upcoming negotiations with the AMPTP, and that we see an expeditious end to the actors strike. I know many of you have spent those 148 days doing a lot of reading, but a lot less buying. With the path to the future looking clearer, it might be time to pull the trigger on a purchase. We’re packed with commercial projects this week to get you started.
As always, thanks for reading along.
Former Trump staffer Cassidy Hutchinson has been all over the news the past week promoting her new book, Enough, about her time working in the White House. The revelations in the book ran from the amusing (Donald Trump wouldn’t wear a Covid mask because it smudged his bronzer) to the disturbing (she alleges Rudy Giuliani groped her) to the substantive (revelations about the casual handling of classified documents in the White House). She’s also a charming and polished interviewee. All of that has pushed the book to No. 1 on Amazon on Thursday morning.
I’m a little surprised, to be honest. A couple of weeks ago, The Washington Post had a rundown on the sales of Trump books. It mainly covers ones by former Trump officials but it gives us a sense of where things are. One trend that jumps out is a suggested declining interest in the Trump story. All the biggest books are from 2020 or earlier. I think there’s a lot of Trump burnout in general and specifically, I think there’s a big gap between what news junkies care about and what the vast majority of Americans care about. Think of it as a corollary to the Twitter syndrome that skews debate to what a small segment of very online people are talking about.
I read this list and it makes me wonder if there are any scripted dramatizations of current politics that people would want to watch. It’s also one reason why I think so many flavors of feel-good shows have done well over the last few years. Hutchinson’s sales clearly buck that trend; Enough is a big outlier, and whether it represents a real turn or a one-off remains to be seen. For example, sales notwithstanding, I still don’t see an adaptation of Enough happening. I could see Hutchinson going the George Stephanopolous/Jenna Bush Hager route, rebranding herself from politico to morning host — she’s got that charm.
Speaking of the bestseller list, it’s worth noting that Walter Isaacson’s Musk bio debuted at No. 1 on multiple bestseller lists, despite questions about accuracy and middling reviews. As I wrote before, I’m skeptical that we’ll ever see a Musk biopic/limited series. But these sales suggest the public appetite for one might be stronger than I anticipated, though I still worry about navigating any blowback from Musk, given his financial resources and social media power.
I’m beginning to think a more likely contender is Ben Mezrich’s Breaking Twitter, which drops on Nov. 7. First, the Twitter acquisition has the kind of contained narrative arc that would work as a movie. Second, Mezrich has a strong track record. Hell, strong might be an understatement, considering his books have been adapted into 21, The Social Network and now Dumb Money. (Waiting a slow-coming official confirmation but I believe rights to Breaking Twitter, repped by CAA, are available.)
One other thing jumped out at me from this week’s bestseller list: The power of a movie/TV series, even a forthcoming one, to sell books. Of course, this isn’t a new lesson, but it’s worth regularly revisiting. Today’s examples (going off of the NYT list): Lessons in Chemistry (the Apple adaptation drops on Oct. 13), Killers of the Flower Moon (also Apple, in theaters Oct. 20) and American Prometheus, which inspired Oppenheimer.
All three are reminders of the potent knock-on effects for authors of having a book adapted for the screen. This kind of bump can be extremely lucrative for an author since they don’t have to split the royalties with anyone. (Well, anyone but their agent.) It’s also why publishers are so eager to see their books on the screen as well. They don’t have the resources to buy the kind of awareness and publicity that flows down — for free — from an adaptation.
On to this week’s picks, which include two projects that play with the Jurassic Park premise, a fun YA action/adventure romp and a charming high-concept romance.