Monday, November 16, 2009
McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON — By now, nearly everyone with a television has seen the teasers for former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s appearance today on Oprah Winfrey’s show. (Will Levi come to Thanksgiving dinner? Stay tuned!)
There have been plenty of leaks from Palin’s memoir, “Going Rogue,” which officially hits bookstores Tuesday.
The Palin publicity blitz has begun, and if it has elements of a political campaign, a Twitter feed and that of a top-tier rock band touring second-tier cites, well, that’s by design.
Portions of an interview of Palin by ABC’s Barbara Walters begin airing Tuesday on “Good Morning America” and will be shown at length Friday on “20/20.”
Palin, who taped her appearance on “Oprah” last week, kicks off her tour Wednesday at a Barnes and Noble in Grand Rapids, Mich. She’ll swing through small cities such as Fort Wayne, Ind.; Washington, Pa.; Roanoke, Va. — places where she had triumphant appearances last year on the campaign trial as Sen. John McCain’s vice presidential running mate.
Palin uses her Facebook page as her chief mode of communicating since she stepped down as Alaska governor in July. Publisher Harper Collins printed 1.5 million copies, and in a retail war unrelated to Palin, Amazon.com, Target and Wal-Mart have slashed prices as low as $8.98 on the $28.99 hardcover version of the book.