This is hot off the Publisher’s Weekly wire:
“Salam Pax, the web diarist known as the Baghdad Blogger, has been
signed to a deal by Atlantic Books in the U.K., with parent
Grove/Atlantic bringing out the book next fall in stateside. The
paperback original is the “ultimately embedded” account of the second
Gulf War and will feature a collection of Pax’s pseudonymous postings.
Pax was the blogger who wrote revealingly and comically of life in Baghdad,
maintaining skepticism about both Saddam and the invading armies.”
Congratulations, Salam, and may this be an opportunity to not only present your experiences, but also your musings regarding bigger questions of the role of non-Arab nations in the region, the relationship between Iraq and Israel, effective government for the region, and more.
Salam Pax says in his last blog he is not writing as much because he “doesn’t have the rage” anymore. More likey the Guardian told him not to as a condition of selling out to the main stream media. It is a shame.
I think this is an interesting precedent for bloggers, although the circumstances are unusual. I think it was Nick Denton who encouraged literary agents to give Salam a look. I thought about approaching him but I figured an agent with better New York connections could get him a better deal. That’s me: the humble agent.
Oh, and I dropped by looking for Gnomedex goodies…