The New York Times reports on the literary agents who are vying for former FBI director James Comey’s story. Although most government officials usually move on to corporate jobs or teaching positions, Comey’s firing may make some employers wary of hiring him. But the controversy could land him a lucrative book deal. “I don’t know what his next job will be,” said Trident Media Group chairman Robert Gottlieb, “but I can tell you there is a really big book in Comey if Comey wants to write about the facts.”
Wikileaks is offering $100,000 for recordings of Comey and Trump’s conversations. Gizmodo Media Group is suing the Department of Justice for any warrant applications that allowed the FBI to monitor Trump campaign officials. The agency previously refused to honor a FOIA request because the existence or nonexistence of said records is still classified. “The problem with that argument,” writes John Cook, “is that the president of the United States has already confirmed that the warrants do exist, by tweeting about them.”
Tomorrow and Wednesday, the Yaddo Foundation, which runs the famous artists colony in Saratoga Springs, will be hosting a series of benefit dinners and events, featuring authors including Jennifer Egan, James Hannaham, Gary Shteyngart, and Andre Aciman.
John Altman reflects on writing fiction under Trump. While it might seem like the Trump administration’s antics offer rich source material, it can sometimes be too unrealistic for readers. “Using a patio at a Florida golf club as a makeshift situation room during a North Korean missile test—as a guest posts pics to Facebook? Really? An author describing this scene risks taxing suspension of disbelief beyond repair,” Altman writes. “Real and plausible are not the same thing.”
At BuzzFeed, Charlie Warzel looks at the alt-right media’s unprecedented access to the White House. Pro-Trump bloggers like Mike Cernovich have broken numerous stories in recent months, such as the Syrian airstrikes. “For all the understandable hand-wringing about the legitimization of the pro-Trump media, its rise makes perfect sense,” Warzel writes. “Its people are in the White House. Trump, clichéd as it may be, is an effective troll, and he brought with him a troll press corps.”