From Arrest to Book Deal: 48 Hours

By Carmen 

Be careful what you wish for. That’s the line in my head after an early morning conversation with a friend musing about whether someone would be snapping up fallen NASA astronaut Lisa Marie Nowak to a book deal for her recent 1000-mile trek to attempt kidnapping and murder upon her perceived rival for a fellow astronaut’s affections. “Wanna bet the story will end up as a St. Martin’s paperback with Jane Dystel doing the deal?” I quipped. “Charlie Spicer is prepping the deal memo as we speak,” was the instant reply.

And lo, that’s exactly what happened, according to a deal just posted on Publishers Marketplace this afternoon. Dystel’s the agent, Spicer’s the editor, and the author will be Diane Fanning, whose previous true crime efforts have garnered her an Edgar Award nomination. It goes without saying the book sold on proposal – or maybe a one-page sheet, if that…