Hillary Clinton Will Be Paid $8 Million for Memoir

New York Sen.-elect Hillary Rodham Clinton agreed Friday to accept $8 million from publisher Simon & Schuster for a memoir dealing with her eight tumultuous years as first lady.

The huge advance is more than any member of Congress has received for a book and comes close to matching the $8.5 million Pope John Paul II got in 1994 for a nonfiction work. The first lady’s advance beats the $7.1 million received this summer by General Electric Chairman Jack Welch.

“This personal perspective on our recent history promises to be one of the most remarkable books of our time,” said Carolyn Reidy, president of the publishing house’s trade division. Simon & Schuster has published Mrs. Clinton’s other three books.

The memoir will be published in early 2003.

A White House official also confirmed the deal late Friday.

The first lady will earn $141,000 a year as a senator. She and President Clinton leave the White House with an estimated $10 million in legal bills and a $1.7 million mortgage on their home in Chappaqua, N.Y. Additionally, the first lady wants to purchase a home in Washington, D.C., where she will spend time while in the Senate.

The Clinton book set off a fierce bidding war this week in publishing circles. Just what Mrs. Clinton will say, however, is a matter of speculation. She has indicated she would write about her husband’s impeachment and his affair with White House intern Monica S. Lewinsky. How candid she is on such personal topics will likely determine how big a seller the book is, publishing industry analysts said.

Reports of a big advance being negotiated for the first lady’s book had some watchdog groups complaining that it raised ethical questions. House members are prohibited from accepting advances on books and are only permitted to receive royalties. The Senate, however, has no such restrictions as long as the deal is “usual and customary.”

Although Mrs. Clinton has not yet been sworn in as a senator, aides say she is complying with all Senate rules. The first lady has also indicated she intends to donate a portion of the money to charity.

The Clinton camp has maintained that the book contract was reached after a competitive auction involving eight publishers who trekked to Washington to hear a pitch by the first lady in the White House.

“The book’s value is being determined by the market,” Clinton campaign spokesman Howard Wolfson said Thursday.

Clinton’s other books published by Simon & Schuster are “It Takes a Village,” which outlined her views on children’s and family issues, “Dear Buddy Dear Socks,” a collection of letters written to the first pets, and most recently “An Invitation to the White House,” a tribute to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.