Reuters photo
Posted on 12/26/2010 3:26:19 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
WikiLeaks chief Julian Assange has said in an interview he had signed deals for his autobiography worth more than one million pounds(($A1.57 million).
Assange told Britain's Sunday Times newspaper that the money would help him defend himself against allegations of sexual assault made by two women in Sweden.
"I don't want to write this book, but I have to," he said on Sunday. "I have already spent 200,000 pounds for legal costs and I need to defend myself and to keep WikiLeaks afloat."
The Australian said he would receive the equivalent of $A800,000 from Alfred A. Knopf, his American publisher, and a British deal with Canongate is worth about $A500,000.
Money from other markets and serialisation is expected to raise the total to 1.1 million pounds, he said.
The latest project of Assange's whistleblower website is the gradual release of tens of thousands of US diplomatic cables.
Since this latest project began Assange, who is on bail in Britain fighting a bid by Sweden to extradite him over the sex assault claims, has faced problems financing WikiLeaks.
Credit-card companies Visa and MasterCard and the internet payment firm PayPal have blocked donations to WikiLeaks, prompting Assange to label them "instruments of US foreign policy".
(Excerpt) Read more at au.news.yahoo.com ...
Why does he hate trees
What’s wrong with wikie publishing hmm ...
Always the cash
May it be leaked as it is written...
Who would possibly want to read a book by this pimp who’s only claim to fame is that he published secret documents he received from an American traitor.
And it will be called “If I did it”, relating how he did or didn’t bed two Swedish feminists. If it goes just a bit more ridiculous...
Its hard for me to imagine who would pay $25 for something that this guy says. And when he describes his act with the two feminists...he has to admit that he actually did have sex with both...which won’t help his case. The worst case scenario now...is that both women then write a book....describing him as an idiot who pretends to be James Bond and can’t function well in bed.
The only problem is this guy is not a whistleblower. Odd that the solider is allegedly in jail; however this fool is out floating around.
Hmmm, sounds like another under the table payoff for doing the dirty work and/or being our little idiot. Just write a book and that’s how we will get your money to you. Heck, we will even make sure the book will sell. Soros or other world government fools at work here?
I would not pay a single penny for such a book or any other book by this guy.
This amount for his autobiography is reasonable. As long as its awarded posthumously. And in the very near future.
Mr. Assange will soon be RICH from his 15 minutes of fame!
Book deals often look like welfare from one liberal to another. The liberal making the payment isn’t using his money, and he probably doesn’t care if the publishing company loses money.
I just knew Bertelsmann was involved.
It would be a shame if the book was “leaked” onto the internet two weeks before it was ready to be published...
Paging Glenn Beck...
This is obviously under orders from some high-up leftist to funnel cash to Assange for his defense, not because they expect to make money on the book.
NO cheers, unfortunately.
But still, Merry Christmas.
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