Despite ongoing controversy and the threat of a government lawsuit (and Navy SEALS being pulled off active duty as a consequence), Dutton is publishing NO EASY DAY by “Mark Owen” (the pen name for the retired SEAL Matt Bissonnette) today as scheduled. But things got weirder over the weekend when a group of former Special Operations veterans released a short ebook of their own, NO EASY OP: The Unclassified Analysis of the Mission That Killed Osama bin Laden, as a $4.99 KDP exclusive. It claims Bissonnette (the Times, and the ebook, uses his real name throughout) was “willing to break the […]
New Releases/Forthcoming
Pentagon Says Former SEAL Owen Is In “Material Breach” and May Sue
The Pentagon has threatened to take action against former Navy SEAL Mark Owen–and potentially everyone involved in the publication process–for publishing without gaining the required clearances from the government ahead of time. Defense Department general counsel Jeh Johnson said in a letter obtained by Reuters: “I write to formally advise you of your material breach and violation of your agreements, and to inform you that the department is considering pursuing against you, and all those acting in concert with you, all remedies legally available to us in light of this situation.” Johnson adds that “further public dissemination of your book […]
Schwalbe’s THE END OF YOUR LIFE BOOK CLUB Tops October Indie Next List; Guardian First Book Nominees
The ABA has announced its October Indie Next List, which includes three titles — SUTTON by JR Moehringer, IN SUNLIGHT AND IN SHADOW by Mark Helprin, and LIVE BY NIGHT by Dennis Lehane — among the featured excerpts in our popular free ebook anthology of selections from over 30 big forthcoming books, BEA BUZZ BOOKS. Most of the excerpted titles release later in the year (and into next January), so if you haven’t checked it out yet, it’s as relevant now as it was when we released it before BEA. Pick up the “trade version” at the link above, or […]
AP and Huffington Post Both Have Copies of NO EASY DAY; Author Says Bin Laden Was Killed Without A Fight
Even as the Pentagon and CIA are reviewing the text of “Mark Owen’s” forthcoming NO EASY DAY, the AP “purchased a copy” of the embargoed on Tuesday and the Huffington Post also “obtained” a copy at a bookstore. Publisher Dutton moved up the official release to next Tuesday, September 4. The author tells the AP he did “not disclose confidential or sensitive information that would compromise national security in any way.” In a brief excerpt from his pending 60 Minutes interview, Owen says the release date was not intended to influence the presidential campaign: “This book is not political whatsoever. […]
People, Etc.
Jennifer Schuster has joined NAL as senior editor. She was previously an editor at It Books. At Ecco, Libby Edelson has been promoted to editor. At Penguin Books, Tara Singh has been promoted to associate editor. The Writer, which was due to go on hiatus with the October 2012 issue after more than 125 years of continuous publication, has been acquired by Madavor Media, a privately held niche and enthusiast media company, from Kalmbach Publishing (which also sold off Birdwatching Magazine in the same deal.) Various government agencies, including the Pentagon and the CIA, are now reviewing manuscript copies of […]
Pseudonymous SEAL Author of NO EASY DAY Identified
Just one day after Dutton announced the September 11 publication of NO EASY DAY, a firsthand account of the SEAL Team Six mission that killed Osama Bin Laden, and controversy swirled over whether the book had been properly vetted by government agencies, author “Mark Owen” was identified by a number of news outlets as Matt Bissonnette, 36, who retired from the SEALs last summer. A Dutton spokesperson did not confirm “Owen”‘s real identity, saying in a statement that “personal security is the sole reason the book is being published under a pseudonym. “We respectfully request that all news organizations and all […]