Clinton Could Get Millions For Book, Publisher Says

The publisher who negotiated with Kathleen Willey over a book deal describing her White House experiences said Sunday the big winners in any eventual publishing sweepstakes could be President Clinton and the first lady.

Michael Viner, co-president of New Millennium Entertainment, said President Clinton might command $8 million to $10 million for a tell-all book about his life behind the White House’s closed doors.q

Independent counsel Kenneth Starr also stands to make a seven-figure sum if he decides to write about his lengthy investigation into possible criminal activity by the president, either in the Arkansas Whitewater real estate deal or in his denial of a sexual relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky, Viner said.

The value of a Lewinsky book might be lower, because “when her story comes out, the press will disseminate it so quickly that the public will feel that they’ve read the book whether or not they have after the first few days.”

Viner reportedly rejected a request from Willey, who has accused Clinton of making unwanted sexual advances, for a $300,000 advance to tell her story.

“If everything she said was true, it is still not a book. It is a chapter,” Viner said Sunday.