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With 15 Minutes Of Fame Rapidly Approaching Their End, Assange Nets $1.5 Million Book Deal
With Julian Assange's 15 minutes of fame threatening to cut into royalty revenues, the Wikileaks founder has, for better or worse, decided to monetize on his recent fame. The FT reports that "Julian Assange has signed book deals worth more than £1m in the US and UK, to allow the WikiLeaks founder to cover his legal fees and maintain the whistleblowing site." Specifically, "he has agreed an $800,000 (£520,000) contract with Knopf, a US imprint of Random House, the Bertelsmann-owned publisher, and another £325,000 deal for the UK with Canongate, an independent publishing house based in Edinburgh." And since the publication of these books will likely be predicated upon the continued 'backstopped' existence of the Australian, it is probably quite safe to assume that neither his "insurance" torrent, nor his presumably imminent data dump on one or more US banks will have a bite anywhere commensurate with the much advertised bark.
While many may be tempted to see this as a sell out attempt by the former hacker, his personal opinion is that this is merely an action borne out of necessity:
Although the deals are expected to net Mr Assange more than £1.1m ($1.7m) after the book is sold in other countries and serialised in newspapers around the world, Mr Assange said he had agreed to write his autobiography only reluctantly.
“I don’t want to write this book, but I have to,” he told the Sunday Times. “I have already spent £200,000 for legal costs and I need to defend myself and to keep WikiLeaks afloat.”
Shockingly, Assange is not the only one to soon have to field allegations of selling out:
[Assange] will be racing a disgruntled former colleague to release an autobiography telling his side of the WikiLeaks story. Both books are to be published by divisions of Random House next year.
As to just what the use of proceeds split will be, it is as of yet, unknown:
Mr Assange did not describe how he would divide the proceeds from his autobiography between his own personal legal costs and the operational funds required by WikiLeaks, which he has described as a large and distributed organisation that is not solely reliant on him.
WikiLeaks’ operational costs have more than tripled since it drew up budgeting plans at the beginning of the year, due to the increased scope of information it has reviewed and published. Before “cablegate”, it released huge amounts of files about the Iraqi and Afghan wars.
On the other hand, Assange does deserve the benefit of the doubt: after all the banks and merchant service operators have made public funding for his company next to impossible.
The whistleblowing site relies largely on donations from individuals, but had its fund-raising channels curtailed after several US financial services firms stopped processing payments to its account.
Bank of America, MasterCard, Visa and PayPal have all stopped directing funds to WikiLeaks in recent weeks. They deny Mr Assange’s accusations that the actions were politically motivated. Mr Assange’s Swiss bank has also frozen his account.
That said, there is nothing the big banks would like than to have the broader population perceive Assange as a sell out and no longer give credence to any future disclosures.
In conclusion, Assange has so far demonstrated he is a useful distributor of data, which for the most part has proven to be perfectly innocuous to date, and nothing that nobody with half a brain could not have figured out on their own. Yes, the confirmation is damning of those in control, but it is not like anyone doubted their stupidity in the first place. We have yet to see Assange release something that may actually be a game changer for that most important aspect of modern life: that of financial control. And with each passing day, we, as well as everyone else, are getting increasingly disenchanted with Mr. Assange's disclosure policies: the longer he delays releasing whatever ruinous bank information he has (if any) the less the impact of such data on the banking system will ultimately be. After all there is an economic "recovery" (or so we are brainwashed into believing every day), and fairly soon nobody will even object that Wall Street is staring at a comp pool that is about 6 times greater than the net income generated by the entire industry. Because after all, that is what Ben Bernanke wants. And who even dares to think any more about challenging the Chairman.
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Julian is certainally an imperfect hero, but making any of this about him is a big fat red herring.
It is about our corrupt, inept, totalitarian government.
Don't let the fuckers distract you with juicy stories about the messenger.
Well put. I have never read so much stupidity and seen so many junks on a ZH post. Assange is a hero; the establishment want to destroy him. Dont help them in any way.
the concept of "hero" is a hollywood-ism.
fuck heroes.
Absolutely. Another mind-duck.
Hero-heroine!
ORI
So the leak of wikileaks dirt is what?
Wikileaks ^ 2
WikiLeaks Leaks?
WikiLeaky?
The word you're looking for is metaleaks -- leaks about leaks, leaking and leakers.
dupe
Really, the legitimacy of not of Assange depends on WikiLeaks releasing some data you are intersted in, and now. And just how do they go through and redact 250,000 cables so life limb and property are not endangered in a short space of time? This is why some newspapers are involved, they have the resources.
Better to look into Assange's past what his previous associates say about him before acting like spoiled kids who still haven't been given a bike for christmas.
His IQ tops 170, he is seriously/obssesively trying to out governments and has been for many years, he lacks social skills typical of narcissists and is single minded to a degree you dont see in normal people.
I think what we are seeing is the modern worlds attention deficit disorder, they get bored with something if they dont get their instanst results, they will turn on somebody as soon as instant gratification isn't likley.
jesus, for christsake give the guy a break, he's got more balls than many I have seen around lately.
Spot on.
+100 damn straight.
I guess the book deal is kind of a prophylactic measure to keeps Wikileaks from failing......
I heard Assange is going to be the new judge on American Idol
Does that mean that we get the inside scoop ahead of time on who is going to win?
that information is already available if you have the right numbers in your address book.
All of you that dont like Julian are puppets of the system... go and pray for the end... go vote Palin! go you evangelical freaks and talk about how abortion is so very important...
Julian, for his ego or whatever reason has done more to draw attention... to the problem so the masses, the sheepeople could see it... it has since been spun, Julian is bad.. Julian says mean things... Julian and his 15 minutes..
All of you here down playing how Julian is now a walking target... down playing how useful he is... are the problem, you are part of the system.
But, You cant fix stupid... so why bother tryin?
With all due respect, if I disagree with you, that does not make me a part of any "system."
With all due respect... you are the sheepeople then.
Sorry, I did not, despite all your infinite wisdom, recognize you as God. I think most can see how I made that mistake.
As soon as he publishes anything as good as the public outting by Seymour Hersh:
Torture at Abu Ghraib American soldiers brutalized Iraqis. How far up does the responsibility goRead more http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2004/05/10/040510fa_fact#ixzz19NMdcLkt So far it's mostly favorable of Israel's stance against Iran, and some dirty laundry of what Gov Rep.'s say in private emails... Earth shaking? Haven't seen it yet. Anything on GS or JPM ? How about ANY thing from 2001 - 2008 that would get Cheney up on Treason Charges? It sure seems like a "BackBurn" operation.
It sure seems like a "BackBurn" operation.
Tell us about your extensive experience outing "BackBurn" operations.
Julian has reached a broader audience... for whatever reason it has shiffted public opinion ever so slightly, when moving a mountain of ignorance any progress could be considered, good?
It is not about the quality of the content for me, as much as it is about size of the readership...
just seeing this now...I don't watch Fox news and while I admire the political "brand" Palin has built, I would never vote for her. As for Julian, he's a lot like Palin. As posters have mentioned above, he'll have his 15 minutes of infamy and will fade.
Lastly, my avatar is "Colonial." Make no mistake, for all our problems, faults and issues I am fiercely patriotic. If Assange caused Americans to be compromised and killed, I say go after him. He can hang with Madoff for all I care.
1. If some asshole... writes something... and someone shoots at armed men in uniform over it... well tuff titty... thats the job. and if the guy with the M-4 doesnt want the job... he can take off the uniform and go hold hand with hippies and smoke weed singing songs... but as long as dum nuttz is in that uniform... his job is to protect whatever I and / or any other free man says. No exceptions, no passes..
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.1304:
I'm on wikileaks side. wikileaks provides the publishing platform. Whistle blowers provide the inside info. If it hasn't yet leaked enough for your 'OMG epiphany', it will eventually. It levels the playing field. In a way. I'm amazed the ZH crown is pissing on him too. It's just as the overlords have forseen.
Julian Assange has signed book deals worth more than £1m in the US and UK
I never saw that one coming
I am surprized nobody has mentioned anything about who is publishing the book!!!
Random House is totally controlled by the banking/oil cartel. (Rockefeller/Morgan) Why would the same people who control 'a bank' want to publish (make money for) a person who they first cut off from funds (at least publicly) and who could potentially damage their business??
I am surprized they didn't just be completely obvious and use Crown Books (est. 1933 <--think) btw, Crown is a division of Random House.
This seems to be the same old tactic. Blind you by the light of the man so you don't see the story. The real story about Wikileaks (if you buy any of it) is not Assange but the so called truth he reveals. But he is placed on such a pedistal that the story is forgotten... anyone see the tactic!!!
Please wake up to the fact we will be better of if nobody mentions him or his stupid website ever again.
Random House also published Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. What conclusions do you draw from that fact?
They like to publish really boring books?
HA! good one......
They like to publish really [long and] boring books?
I'm plagued by doublethink guys, which is plusungood. Is this the official thread where we engage in The Party-sponsored "Two Minutes Hate" of Emmanuel Goldstein, er, Julian Assange, or the secret thread where members of "The Brotherhood" quietly applaud his efforts in embarrassing The Party? Oh my, I hope I have not just engaged in thoughtcrime as this telescreen is undoubtedly monitoring me.
Yes, it is...and you had better stop doing that, it will make you go blind.
Furry palms too.
That was Oswald's problem, he never had a decent agent
Jack Ruby was probably the best agent he could ever hope for.
patsy post
i agree with those who think the anti-wikileaks arguments are a bunch of crap.
of course i am disapointed that he hasn't brought the financial world to a stand still, or by himself thoroughly destroyed the military-industrial complex with his bare hands by himself(the other patriots thought he was a socialist and so told him to fuck off)but anyway...what have you done with your day joy boys?
anything like 1/10th of what he did? doubt it.
Look, I think I made a valuable contribution today...I lifted the hook and rang up Mossad and informed tham that Barney Frank was gay. Now tell me I didn't contribute....
I agree...
I hope the BAC leaks are piss poor....so that someone at Goldman goes "you call that a leak...this is a LEAK"...
This is not over yet...I expect WL tenacity in the face of serious opposition is encouraging whistleblowers around the world...lets see what the intertoobs can do...might be our last hope for accountability.
figures, it is a M A N that is leaking wiki†
*lightbulb*
WB7, I pledge a shilling if you would take it upon your good self to whip up Anne Robinson telling Julian Assange that he is indeed 'The Weakest Leak' on the popular game show of similar name.
Many thanks,
jahbless
Assange was given his marching orders. While incarcerated he was sufficiently scared out of his mind by some visitors. They gave him the option of shutting up and doing their bidding, along with a few million bucks. The alternative? ummmm
So he gets 'released', gets a slap on the wrist, fines, but gets a book deal to cover the cost and then some. He get's approval to target Bank of America, (they don't have a goldman sachs insider seat) to look good. He leaves governments alone.
next?
You've omitted the role of the Loch Ness Monster in your little story. Inquiring minds want to know!
Loch ness? that's easy. If he didnt cooperate he'd be permanently thrown in davey jones locker looking for ol nessie in a non descript loch.