"I am not a total, complete nitwit when it comes to selling books. I promise you there will be unexpected things. Some of them I don't know yet. She's writing it all herself"
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The line reads like a defense brief delivered with a grin: Mary Matalin wants you to know she understands the marketplace, but she also wants to preempt the most common suspicion attached to celebrity publishing-that the “book” is a brand extension assembled by committee. “Not a total, complete nitwit” is calculated self-deprecation, the kind that disarms criticism by voicing it first. It’s also a flex: she’s telling you she knows exactly how this game is played.
Then she sells the sizzle. “Unexpected things” is classic teaser language, a promise of revelations without the liability of specifics. The canny twist is “Some of them I don’t know yet.” That’s not just spontaneity; it’s a narrative strategy. It frames the project as alive and risky, as if the author is still discovering the story in real time. In a media economy that rewards “authenticity,” uncertainty becomes a credential.
The closer-“She’s writing it all herself”-is the real payload. It’s not about literary purity; it’s about trust. Matalin is laundering credibility through authorship, insisting on a single human voice rather than a ghostwritten product. The pronoun shift to “she” also hints at a behind-the-scenes operator speaking for the star, which makes the assurance feel both necessary and slightly suspicious. The subtext: we know you’re skeptical; here’s the stamp of legitimacy, plus a promise of drama, and yes, we’re going to sell you on it.
Then she sells the sizzle. “Unexpected things” is classic teaser language, a promise of revelations without the liability of specifics. The canny twist is “Some of them I don’t know yet.” That’s not just spontaneity; it’s a narrative strategy. It frames the project as alive and risky, as if the author is still discovering the story in real time. In a media economy that rewards “authenticity,” uncertainty becomes a credential.
The closer-“She’s writing it all herself”-is the real payload. It’s not about literary purity; it’s about trust. Matalin is laundering credibility through authorship, insisting on a single human voice rather than a ghostwritten product. The pronoun shift to “she” also hints at a behind-the-scenes operator speaking for the star, which makes the assurance feel both necessary and slightly suspicious. The subtext: we know you’re skeptical; here’s the stamp of legitimacy, plus a promise of drama, and yes, we’re going to sell you on it.
Quote Details
| Topic | Sales |
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