Booksellers Await Fox News Star Kelly's Memoir -- WSJ

Megyn Kelly of Fox News was paid an advance for the book in range of $6 million

By Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg and Joe Flint 

Booksellers have high hopes for Fox News star Megyn Kelly's coming memoir, "Settle for More," which promises the behind-the-scenes scoop on her public feud with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

While the memoir was expected to be of interest because of the Trump material, booksellers say any revelations related to her former Fox News boss Roger Ailes would make it a more sought-after read. Mr. Ailes resigned last month in the wake of sexual harassment allegations after 20 years with the network.

"If this book is her memoir, it will be hard not to have Roger Ailes in the book," said Cindy Dach, co-owner and general manager of Changing Hands Bookstore, which has ordered the book for both of its stores in Tempe, Ariz., and Phoenix.

A person familiar with the matter said Ms. Kelly was paid an advance for the book in the ballpark of $6 million.

Ms. Kelly's manuscript was due at the book's publisher, HarperCollins Publishers, in late spring, the person said. That was roughly two months before former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson sued Mr. Ailes for sexual harassment, alleging he didn't renew her contract because she complained about a hostile work environment and rebuffed his advances. He has denied the accusations.

The Kelly memoir is scheduled to be released Nov. 15, a week after the presidential election. A veteran publisher at a rival house said that, based on typical publishing timetables, there is still a window for Ms. Kelly to add new material if she chooses.

The hardcover edition will retail for a steep $29.99, though Barnes & Noble Inc.'s website is offering signed, preorder copies at a discount for $21.50.

Barnes & Noble predicts it will be "one of the biggest books of the year, " said Daisy Kline, the retailer's vice president of books. Terry Finley, chief executive of Books-A-Million Inc., which has a heavy concentration of stores in Republican-leaning states where readers devour conservative titles, calls it a sure national best-seller.

A summary on the HarperCollins website promises "never-before-heard details" of the Republican debate Ms. Kelly moderated that set off a monthslong conflict with Mr. Trump, as well as a discussion of "how she approaches gender in the workplace."

When Ms. Carlson filed her suit, Fox News parent company 21st Century Fox retained the law firm Paul, Weiss to investigate.

Ms. Kelly has been publicly silent on Mr. Ailes's resignation and alleged behavior, but New York Magazine reported in mid-July that Ms. Kelly told investigators that Mr. Ailes had made unwanted advances toward her years earlier, which he has denied. Ms. Kelly's lawyer would only say she was interviewed as part of the investigation.

If the news anchor sidesteps the recent events at Fox News in her book, it could turn off readers and critics. The book is embargoed, which means the publisher isn't releasing early copies.

"Reviewers tend to ask if there is a revelation here or not when it comes to a celebrity memoir," said Mark LaFramboise, buyer for the Politics & Prose bookstore in Washington, D.C. "The hope is that there will be."

Ms. Kelly posed tough questions to Mr. Trump during a presidential debate about disparaging remarks he made about women. He responded by attacking her on Twitter and in interviews, even saying she had "blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her -- wherever."

A lawyer by training, Ms. Kelly can often seem like she is prosecuting a case when interviewing guests.

She doesn't fit neatly into the mold of most Fox News prime-time stars. While Ms. Kelly has taken positions shared by many conservatives -- she has questioned the validity of the Black Lives Matter movement and criticized Democratic efforts on gun control, such as the House Democrats' sit-in earlier this summer -- she has at times stood out from colleagues by being a contrarian voice on some social issues including women's rights. She also hasn't been afraid to challenge on-air assertions by colleagues, such as the time in 2012 when she took on commentator Karl Rove's election-night claim that Barack Obama hadn't won Ohio in the contest against Mitt Romney.

Over the past few years, ratings for her show "The Kelly File" have risen dramatically and she now averages 2.4 million viewers, according to Nielsen, trailing only Bill O'Reilly at the network.

Ms. Kelly's "Settle for More" has announced a first printing of two million copies, a large number by today's standards and 500,000 more copies than HarperCollins initially printed of Sarah Palin's 2009 best-seller "Going Rogue."

21st Century Fox and News Corp, which owns both HarperCollins and The Wall Street Journal, both count the Murdoch family as a major shareholder. Rupert Murdoch is executive chairman of News Corp and 21st Century Fox and became acting chief executive of Fox News after Mr. Ailes stepped down on July 21.

For the Murdochs' overall business interests, "Settle for More" could prove a tricky balancing act. New information about Mr. Ailes's exit and the investigation could spur more publicity and sales, which would be good for HarperCollins. On the other hand, such revelations could prove problematic for Fox News as it tries to move past this dark chapter.

HarperCollins is keeping mum on whether it has asked Ms. Kelly to provide additional material to address the scandal. It is also unclear if Ms. Kelly, whose contract with Fox News is up next year, has a nondisclosure agreement that prevents her from divulging details.

A spokeswoman for HarperCollins declined to comment and said that Ms. Kelly was unavailable for an interview. A spokeswoman for 21st Century Fox also declined to comment. Mr. Ailes's lawyer, Susan Estrich, didn't respond to a request for comment.

One bookseller said if the book is light on revelations, it won't necessarily hurt overall sales. "She'll do a media tour, and the publicity campaign will be enormous," said Sarah Bagby, co-owner of Watermark Books & Café in Wichita, Kan. "She doesn't have to go into the issue of harassment."

Write to Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg at [e-mail] and Joe Flint at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 05, 2016 02:47 ET (06:47 GMT)

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