Signings of books on the Iraq war continue to multiply, with publishers racing to get them out fast. Some of the latest include the first signing by Paul Golob in his new role heading Times Books at Holt; the book is tentatively titled A Time of Our Choosing, and in it veteran New York Times-man Todd S. Purdum will offer a complete account of the lead-up to the war many months ago, on through the actual battles this March and April. Purdum will draw on Times resources for the book, to be published in November.
St. Martin's hopes to be first out, with a book by The American Enterprise's editor Karl Zinsmeister, who was at the front during the war. Truman Talley signed it for his imprint, world rights, directly with the author, and SMP plans to have Boots on the Ground: A Month with the 82nd Airborne in the Battle of Iraq, ready to ship in August for a September launch.
On a broader front, Random's Dan Menaker forestalled an auction for The Story of Islam: A New Interpretation by Harvard-educated Reza Aslan with a six-figure preemptive bid for world rights to agent Elyse Cheney at Sanford Greenburger.
