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Earlier this week Gerard Van der Leun explained how a lucrative book deal - with an advance in the $3 million range - may be awaiting Michael Schiavo. Gerard is a former editor at a major publisher and knows how the business works, for good and ill.
As a motive for keeping the case and the controversy going, I was skeptical. I commented there, “I don’t really think that either side expected or wanted it to get to this point, and so ascribing commercial motives to either Michael or the Schindlers is really unwarranted.”
But now I see that Glenn Reynolds has linked to this report by WKMG TV news, a CBS affiliate in Orlando, Fla.:
If you expressed your support to Terri Schiavo and her parents fight to keep her alive, you may begin to receive a steady stream of solicitations, according to a Local 6 News report.
Terri Schiavo’s parents have agreed to sell their list of supporters to a direct-mailing firm, Local 6 News reported.
The company, “Response Unlimited” pays about $150 a month for 6,000 names and $500 a month for 6,000 e-mail addresses.
A spokesperson for the Schindlers confirmed that they had agreed to sell the information, but won’t say for how much.
Really, I’m not sure quite what to think, but I don’t have a good opinion about this at first blush. What repulses me is that the Schindlers announced this (apparently) on the same day their daughter died. The same day! Good heavens.
Update: Scott Forbes says that the NYT reported this sale on March 29, “so the parents didn’t announce the sale on the day of their daughter’s death; it still scores about a 9.9 on the Crass-O-Meter, but nonetheless. ” Yep.
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March 31st, 2005 at 11:10 pm
Gerard has really had a road to Damascus experience since 9/11. From soft core sex porn (writer and editor for PENTHOUSE magazine) to right wing political porn. He does write well though if you like that wordy style which is not to my taste.
April 1st, 2005 at 12:51 am
The New York Times reported this on the 29th, so the parents didn’t announce the sale on the day of their daughter’s death; it still scores about a 9.9 on the Crass-O-Meter, but nonetheless.
April 1st, 2005 at 2:06 am
What can I say? Publishing first drafts always leads to wordiness, but I shall try to be brief.
The news about the Schindlers sale did not surprise me, but then little about this whole episode surprised me. As to what the sale is worth to them, I don’t know. There’s a lot to come out about the funding behind all of this and it will. I do note, however, that they did not have the advantage, early on, of the settlement money paid out to Terri and to Michael — I believe I’ve seen notes that several hundred thousand went to the Falos and other lawyers early on.
Will the parents also have book offers and film offers — without a doubt. How much and from whom is unknown now. In what range — perhaps that above, perhaps less — it depends on the publishers.
As I mentioned in the comments to the post referenced and which has drawn a very high level of comment on my small page, history will soon tell us how this small part of this story will play out.
April 1st, 2005 at 2:09 am
Oh, yes, along with the stints at Penthouse I also spent a number of years as Senior Editor and Director of Trade Paperback Publishing for Houghton Mifflin, and a few more years as a literary agent, as well as working in Public Radio and as the editor of three other magazines, two of which I owned.
But Road to Damascus since 9/11 pretty much describes it. A road I’m still on and it isn’t getting any smoother.
April 1st, 2005 at 4:16 am
[…] y their daughter died. The same day! Good heavens. Update: Scott Forbes says that the NYT reported this sale on March 29, “so the parents didn’t announce the sale on the day of thei […]
April 1st, 2005 at 10:34 am
Anyone care to do a bad joke about the Schindlers’ List?
April 1st, 2005 at 12:58 pm
While I agree that this seems rather crass at first glance, it may
have been something the Schindlers were convinced would ultimately
lead to pro-lifers being more organized, informed, etc. Perhaps they
do need that money, or perhaps they’ll donate it. Their legal expenses
have to be enormous. M. Savage claimed that M. Schiavo’s legal
representation was provided for by the ACLU. Too bad his wife didn’t
have the same advantage.