I thought it was worth posting some insider perspective - the latest article from Peter Osnos at the Century Foundation, called "What Is a Story?" He explains how the posting of the Spring 2008 PublicAffairs catalogue online could cause a media frenzy, about a book that will not be published for another six months.
The book, of course, is Scott McClellan's What Happened. I find these insider politico books a bit boring. I glanced at David Kuo's Tempting Faith and just couldn't muster interest (though I kind of appreciate the author's blog on Belief.net, J-Walking - the "J" being Jesus). But Osnos' recounting of how the media takes something and runs with it, in this world of viral marketing and endless tagging, is of interest. I suppose it could happen with a smaller press than PublicAffairs, but the media would look to PA for such politico stuff and McClellan's book is an obvious one to watch.
Lest we forget, Osnos is also defending the book in this piece - he has a vested interest, so this is not a clear-eyed, objective accounting. It's not history, it's current, and he has to do some damage control for this book in its pre-publication phase. But here we have, folks, a little glance behind the curtain. Enjoy!
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