Bios: Authorized, Unauthorized, &....

Good questions, I'll answer as many as I can from my position of ignorance, inexperience, and incompetence.

popmuze said:

I'd like to do a big, important, well researched work. My question is: can this be accomplished without the subject's cooperation, instead researching various other sources and interviewing people who knew the subject, using the subject's 20-year old text as a reference?

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I think this depends on what other sources are out there. It's hard to answer this without knowing who your subject is (not prying, just saying). If it's someone with lots of friends happy to spill their guts, or someone whose life has been chronicled in the newspapers and gossip mages, you might be fine. One approach might be to start with everyone and everything else and then go to the subject and say, "I'm writing this book and would like your input. George says you once tortured puppies, did that happen?" Or start with the subject and then verify.

popmuze said:

If it is necessary to talk to the subject, how likely is it that I could get an interview without the subject wanting to participate in the profits and advance? If that's impossible, how is the money generally split.

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From my own research there are no hard and fast rules on how the money is split. My guide has been to assess how much work I am doing against how much of the story is dependent on the subject. My own bio, for example, would not exist but for the subject's participation. So we're splitting it all.
Note: if you decide to split proceeds, make sure you get a collaboration agreement that sets out the terms and also requires your celeb to do some work on the back end in terms of publicity.

popmuze said:

Right now I'd rather do as much of the book as possible without the subject. Having interviewed hundreds of celebrities, I know sometimes subjects lie or can't remember or don't want to divulge vital details.

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Very true, and I think this is a good approach. Just remember, in the same way that the subject's memories may be tainted, so might the memories of other sources. And if yo uare using gossip mags for information, triple check your facts!

popmuze said:

The other question is, what's the difference between an author-written bio and an "as told to."

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Are they official genres? If so there may be a more technical answer that I don't know about. If not, I'd say that the latter would be more memoir-like, not first person necessarily but it would simply rely on the subject more and not quote as many outside sources.

Good luck!

popmuze said:

Mark,
Thanks for the input. This is not a person who appears in gossip magazines (or even People). I would guess most of my information will come from how many original sources I can find who know or have known this person. My only worry is, once I start snooping around, word will probably get back to the subject, who might then either want in, or want to tell me to stop talking to those friends

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Hmmm... you're sort of in between on this one, aren't you? I mean, for me I have full cooperation and we're splitting any income. Nice and clean. For a dead celeb you could snoop and not worry about interference or having to share income. I see whay you are concerned. You might want to think about sending the subject a letter, letting them know you are an admirer (if true) and that you are contemplating making them the subject of a book, or at least a chapter of a book. Then, when they hear you've been asking questions they won't be surprised (maybe flattered?) and because in their mind you are "contemplating" they may not hit you up for inclusion, monetarily speaking. Just an idea...

Personally, I'd contact the celebrity right up front and make it clear that you--and you alone!--are writing a book about them. There is no need to offer to share the profits.

If the person says, "I won't cooperate without a cut of the profits" I would thank them and move on.

Then I would follow up 3 monhts later with a tidbit--"Sam Will told me that you did X to Y in 1970 -- would you like to comment?" This is when they realize you ARE digging deep into their life and may respond.

Or not.

Keep digging and call them a month later with another tidbit.

Finally, when the book is done, call and say, "I've finished the book and wanted you to have one more opportunity to comment..."

After all, it is his/her life and they would be flattered someone would write about them 20 years after a previous book.

Work up an outline that's detailed enough so they KNOW that YOU KNOW everything about them---good or bad.

If this is basically a "good person" then I would think they would be happy to help you tell their story correctly.

If this is a somewhat "good/bad" person, then they might choose not to participate and tell their friends not to...however, friends can certainly speak to you privately so you can get the goods by saying, "A close friend of nearly 30 years said..." and so forth.

If this person tells their friends NOT to take you calls, etc--never fear. Once word gets out, people will be calling YOU--you'll have your story.
Expecially with the Internet, word gets out.

Posting an ad in their local papers and the NY Times Book Review -- "I'm writing a boox about Mr/Ms X and need to contact those who have known him/her" will also generate responses.

You're doing ALL the work so I personally can't see a reason to share the profits or write a "as told to." Usually, the celebrity has their agent get a contract with the publisher and the "as told to" writer is hired.

Good luck!