Tom Clancy Turns His Pen to Nonfiction

There was no new techno-thriller in 1995 from the master of the genre, Tom Clancy, who may have been preoccupied with those marital woes reported by the gossip columns. Clancy sells so many books that the gross national product may dip as a result of his absence.

Although that absence apparently will continue through this year, Clancy has done a deal with the Putnam Berkley Group to write a series of nonfiction books, each of which will focus on a major military leader and his specific role in the Persian Gulf War. Fine. But which general will Harrison Ford play?

Villard’s Magic: Villard Books, a division of Random House, displayed a deceptively magical touch in 1995 with two pieces of literary merchandise.

“O.J.’s Legal Pad,” a $9.95 comedy piece created by Henry Beard, John Boswell and Ron Barrett, rose above the waves of print spawned by the O.J. Simpson trial to become a bestseller (with more than 350,000 copies in print).

Evelyn McFarlane and James Saywell’s “If . . . (Questions for the Game of Life),” a squat-sized $9.95 hardcover, is interactive--but not electronic. It’s designed to generate living-room chatter with 500 questions, such as, “If you had to pick the worst meal you’ve ever eaten, what would it be?” A little book that could, it has 126,000 copies in print.

Romance and Literacy: In “Love’s Legacy,” a new paperback published by Leisure Books, 11 major romance writers have supplied stories linked by a common theme. The contributors include Mary Balogh, Heather Graham, Virginia Henley and Janelle Taylor. “Most of the authors are not used to collaborating like this,” said Alicia Condon, the book’s editor. The first printing totaled 750,000 copies. The authors’ royalties and the publisher’s profits will go to Literacy Partners, which supports efforts to help adults learn to read. . . .

Two new books chronicle the search for notorious computer hacker Kevin Mitnick, who was captured by law-enforcement officials in February. They are “Takedown” (Hyperion) by computer expert Tsutomu Shimomura with John Markoff, who covered the story for the New York Times, and “The Fugitive Game” (Little, Brown) by Jonathan Littman, a journalist who lives in Mill Valley and interviewed Mitnick when the hacker was on the run. . . .

David Baldacci’s “Absolute Power,” a political thriller, will be out this month. Warner books paid the first-time novelist $2 million.

Money Matters: Publishers often pay the big bucks, but they can’t guarantee that anyone will read the “big books.” Hyperion paid a reported $1 million for three novels tied to “Myst,” the popular CD-ROM fantasy game. The first one, “Myst: The Book of Atrus,” written by David Wingrove and brother creators Rand and Robyn Miller, did not appear among the top 150 sellers in the country listed by USA Today. . . .

On the other hand, Nicholas Evans’ “The Horse Whisperer,” which earned the Briton a $3-million advance from Dell Publishing, survived some brutal reviews and has spent nearly four months on the bestseller lists.

On the Racks: Martha Stewart Living Weddings, the second annual special issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine, went on sale in late December at newsstands only. It’s a hefty 292 pages and costs $5.50. . . .

Donna Rice, whose companionship with the married Gary Hart derailed his 1988 presidential campaign, reappears in the January issue of McCall’s, which tells us: “She has found God, a new career [as an anti-pornography lobbyist] and a devoted husband [also a Christian].” She tells the mag: “I accept responsibility for my past mistakes. . . .”

To come in 1996: American Legacy, a quarterly review of African American history being co-published by Forbes Inc. . . .

Another reason to love USA Today was the recent publication on its “Money” page of this boxed fact: “Forty-five percent of fliers say they’ve looked out an airplane window to find their house.”

* Paul D. Colford’s column is published Fridays.