Defeat May Scuttle Deval Patrick Book Deal: 'It Would be a Horrendous Event'

Actually the horrendous event would be giving this Obama wannabe another term as Governor of Massachusetts.

A devastating Nov. 2 defeat could cost Gov. Deval Patrick more than his lofty position and promising political career - it could scuttle the happily-ever-after ending to his million-dollar “inspirational” memoir and turn it into a bookstore bomb, experts said.

“It would be a horrendous event,” said Hub book agent and attorney John Taylor “Ike” Williams. “The publisher would have a hard time with that book.”

The success of Patrick’s 200-page autobiography - titled “A Reason to Believe: Lessons from an Improbable Life” and priced at $21.99 - hinges largely on the governor raising his national profile.

That’s a far-fetched feat for an ousted, one-term wonder.

“I assume the senior editors are saying, ‘You told us this book would ride on the coattails of the Obama book,’ ” Williams said, noting the similarities between the rags-to-riches tales of Patrick and his pal, President Obama.

David Drake, a spokesman for Patrick’s publisher Crown Publishing, a division of Random House, declined to comment, other than to say the book is due out in April.

The publisher’s initial optimism when the governor landed the deal in March 2008 was clear from Patrick’s reported advance of $1.35 million - a staggering sum for a first-time author.

Even if Patrick somehow clings to office in five weeks it's difficult to see why anyone would bother buying his book. Although we figure the book will mysteriously turns up as required reading in Massachusetts public schools.

Scott Hartwig of Calif.-based Rose Ave Press, which specializes in smaller-name memoirs, said he had misgivings about Patrick’s sizable advance. “I question the logic of giving that big of an advance,” Hartwig said. “Especially if he’s not effective politically.”

He added that the niche industry relies on the author making headlines, or finding a way to be exceptionally relevant. Otherwise, he said, “It could look kind of silly.”