June dates Clinton's new memoir 'My Life'
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-04-28 15:02

Former president Bill Clinton is still writing his long-awaited memoir, but his publisher announced Monday that My Life will be released in late June.

Neither the price, length or publication date has been decided, his publisher says. The first printing will be 1.5 million copies - topping the initial printing for Pope John Paul II's 1994 best seller, Crossing the Threshold of Hope.

It's also 500,000 more than the first printing of Living History by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., the former first lady. Published last June and now out in paperback, her memoir has sold nearly 2 million copies.

Most books by first ladies outsell books by their husbands, on the assumption that the wives are more candid. But booksellers expect that won't hold for the Clintons.

"His book won't just be history," says Barnes & Noble's Bob Wietrak. "So much of what we're dealing with now began in his time in office."

"There's interest in hearing it from the horse's mouth, so to speak," adds Borders' Jenie Dahlman. "People have heard from Hillary, (former Clinton adviser) George Stephanopoulos and countless others. They want Clinton's definitive point of view on his presidency, both Bush administrations - particularly now in light of the current 9/11 commission hearings - and, of course, the Monica Lewinsky scandal."

The biggest question in publishing has been when Clinton would finish the book. He originally planned to submit what he called a "publishable draft" last summer, but didn't.

Clinton lawyer Bob Barnett declined to discuss details but said, "we're assured we'll be ready to publish in late June." Robert Gottlieb has been editing pages as Clinton finishes them, but the final production will be rushed.

In the first public promotion for the book, Clinton will speak at BookExpo America, a trade show for the book industry, in Chicago June 3. He was to speak to Knopf sales representatives Monday night and plans an extensive book tour this summer.

Some Democrats fear that may distract attention from presidential candidate John Kerry, who is expected to be nominated at the Democratic Convention July 26-29.

Knopf spokesman Paul Bogaards says no decision has been made on Clinton's first TV interview about the book. The networks are competing fiercely for it. Knopf plans to tightly guard the contents until the book is published.

Clinton is getting a reported $12 million for the book, a record. Sen. Clinton got an $8 million advance from Simon & Schuster, which said last year that her book earned a profit.

In 2002, Clinton told C-SPAN, "I decided not to worry about whether or not it would be a best seller. ... I wanted it to be an authentic book."

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