[HarperCollins spokesman Andrew] Butcher said that Regan and [HarperCollins attorney Mark] Jackson were discussing an upcoming Regan book, Peter Golenbock's "7: The Mickey Mantle Novel," in which the author, imagining he is Mantle, confesses in detail to a life of sexual exploits, including a tryst with Marilyn Monroe.
With Mantle's family and fans of the late Yankee enraged, Regan and Jackson of HarperCollins were discussing the timing and content of the planned March release, according to Butcher. Regan became frustrated by what she believed was HarperCollins' lack of support, and lashed out.
She complained that Jackson, HarperCollins CEO Jane Friedman, HarperCollins Executive Editor David Hirshey and longtime literary agent Esther Newberg were a "Jewish cabal," Butcher said.
Butcher said she pleaded with Jackson: "Of all people, Jews should know about ganging up, finding common enemies and telling the big lie."
pretty stupid move, if true. especially when you're already on thin ice because your last big project was a public relations disaster. these allegations will surely make it harder to regan to find a new job.
and anyway, does this mantle book sound good to anyone? i don't have a problem with authors writing novels about real-world people; i don't care about baseball or about mantle's enraged fans. but it just sounds like a sports equivalent of fan fiction to me. no thank you.¶
