Though Jared Paul Stern's Stern Measures book deal with Simon & Schuster will bring in at least part of the $220,00 he tried extorting from Ron Burkle, the saleability of Stern's tell-all – which, we've noted, doesn't sound like the scandal sheet it was originally thought to be – is being questioned by the Times' Julie Bosman (along with much of the publishing and gossip industries). There are two obvious categories Stern's book could fall into: The Jayson Blair "fall from grace" sector (4,000 copies sold), or the insider gossip sector, a la Paula Froelich's It!: 9 Secrets of the Rich and Famous That’ll Take You to the Top (9,000 copies, and that leads the pack).

And then, of course, there's the Stephen Glass version of things. While Glass' own book sold only about 4,000 copies, it was the Stepehn Glass story – penned by Adam Penenberg – that turned Glass into a household name, thanks to the movie deal that became Shattered Glass. So there's still hope for Stern in his quest to turn his Burkle debacle into profit and fame. But for Simon & Schuster, book rights are book rights, and those are always less sexy.

Gossip Gets a Book Deal, but What About Sales? [Julie Bosman, NYT]
Earlier: The Jared Paul Stern Tome Only Snoodles Is Eagerly Awaiting