Publishers' Hottest Manuscript Right Now Is a House Report

Now that the House Jan. 6 panel has completed its work and issued its report, the resulting document has become what the New York Times calls "the most sought after manuscript in publishing." The information in the report is in the public domain, but major publishers are scrambling to get it into book form—both the physical and electronic varieties—in a hurry. Expect e-books in days and print editions within a week. Of course, those who want to read the report for free can do so via the panel's PDF version.

"Everybody, not just us, is trying to do their damnedest to be first to market, but also every publisher has their own angle and spin on it," Doug Jones, publisher at Harper Perennial, tells the Times. "Each one has their own audience." One way publishers will set their versions apart is through forewords by journalists or others. The logistics can be daunting, notes NPR, but government reports can occasionally become big hits, as the 9/11 report did. (More Jan. 6 hearings stories.)