Julian Assange proves some information is still worth paying for – The Globe and Mail.

The Globe and Mail’s editor sees this book deal of Julian Assange as evidence that books still matter, and that people will still pay money for them. It seems to me that this is evidence that notoriety matters, and people are paying for the glimpse into a celebrity’s life, not for the writing.

I write fiction, the daunting task of facing the blank page, whether it’s on the computer or waiting on a desk with accompanying pencil(and eraser), dredging up images and characters from fragments in the brain. Writing non-fiction, or as this book will be, a memoir, requires a different set of skills, but skill it needs, and time, and research, if the facts are to be presented.

Mr. Assange never finished university, studying maths and physics while he was there. I couldn’t find any reference to written work, either fiction or non-fiction although he is called a journalist on Wikipedia.

A 1.7 million book deal for a guy whose claim to fame is cracking computers and releasing information in a lump. The book is supposed to be an autobiography, but perhaps they’re providing him with a ghost-writer. I wonder if the ghost writer’s name will be on the cover, in the spirit of reveal all.