Barnaby Joyce's autobiography to be published in August
Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce has not been sitting idly since stepping down from his post amid the personal scandal which engulfed him after leaving his wife Natalie for former staffer Vikki Campion, who last week delivered his fifth child, a baby boy named Sebastian.
Joyce has been writing an autobiography, which is now sitting with Sydney publishing house New Holland, the same outfit which last week launched Mark Latham and Alan Jones' cookbook.
New Holland says Joyce has been writing a book for a number of years, and it is planning to publish it in August.
Rival publishers, including political specialist's Melbourne University Press boss Louise Adler, had been in discussions with him about a possible book last year, well before the full extent of his personal crisis had become public.
It is estimated Joyce would have pocketed an advance of around $25,000 to write his biography, on which the publisher would need to generate around 7,500 sales to see it in the red if copies sell for around $40 each.
According to a statement released on Monday about the book, New Holland says it will be "a warts and all" account of Joyce's "personal story" and his "commitment to people in the bush".
The publisher did not disclose if the book would delve into the breakdown of his marriage to Tamworth school teacher Natalie Joyce or the impact on their three daughters, who Joyce had previously enlisted in his election campaigns but who were largely absent from the most recent New England by-election.
However New Holland said the book would cover his "public stoush" with actor Johnny Depp, no doubt with thorough coverage of Yorkshire Terriers Pistol and Boo, his "citizenship crisis," Joyce's resignation as the leader of the National Party and as Deputy Prime Minister, and what Joyce claims is the "inside story" of the "media frenzy" concerning his personal life.
Apparently the book would also include a chapter on "the joy of welcoming baby Sebastian," though given the baby's arrival was only revealed last week, it is not clear when this part of the book was actually written.