Ethan Coen, who with brother Joel creates darkly comic art-house flicks (including last year's Oscar-winning breakout film Fargo), has netted a rumored $500,000 advance for his first collection of short stories. Six publishers were involved in the auction conducted by agent Anthony Gardner. The winner was Colin Dickerman, senior editor of Rob Weisbach Books, which expects to release director Tim Burton's first collection of short stories this fall and plans the Coen collection for fall 1998. This deal is the second to expand the Coen canon beyond publication of their screenplays by Faber &Faber. The Coens get their first-ever "making of" book to go with their next movie, The Big Lebowski. The book will be written by Ethan's wife and film editor, Tricia Cooke, with journalist/screenwriter William Preston Roberston. Norton will publish the trade paperback tie-in with the movie's release this December.