Stephan King Doodle Nets Huge Advance

Written by Chad Messer

Saturday, 21 June 2008

Stephan Kings New Media Contract Five million dollars will buy a lot in today’s marketplace, even for the obscenely wealthy. This is a lesson that world-famous author Stephen King must have learned long ago, but he got a reminder this week when publishing giant Random House signed him to a $5 million first-look new media contract. All he had to do to warrant the money was write “BOO” on a cocktail napkin.

“This will go down in publishing history,” said Mary Jacobson, talent wrangler for Random House. “To have first dibs on new material from the world’s best-selling author is just phenomenal.”

Even though King’s new work will be produced exclusively on cocktail napkins, Jacobson expects that it will sell millions of copies right through the holiday season.

“This opens up new marketing possibilities for us, as well,” Jacobson promises, eyes aglow with dollar signs. “For instance, we are currently in talks with Bounty paper towels on an exclusivity deal. Maybe we can get them to print napkins with bats, or bloody script, or maybe skulls. The possibilities are endless.”

Asked if taking on new projects will hamper or otherwise complicate Stephen King’s established contract with Scribner, a representative chortled and said, “Mr. King gets paid millions of dollars to write books with thousands of words in them. Now he is getting paid millions for writing one word at a time on napkins. He couldn’t be happier.”

When queried on how such a rich man could sleep at night while getting so much more money for so much less work, the representative said, “Mr. King sleeps very comfortably at night. In a bed made out of money.”
After his next short story collection, “Just After Sunset”, is released in November ’08 by Scribner, Random House will release the “BOO” napkin, followed by a napkin with a freehand drawing of a ghost, and one with the exclamation “ARRRRGH” written on it in black magic marker.

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