WASHINGTON - Rep. Michele Bachmann met in New York with four or five major book publishers Tuesday and Wednesday, according to a source with knowledge of the meetings.
The Minnesota Republican talked in one meeting of launching a campaign for president soon. The publisher asked if she could deliver a manuscript by August, in time for a September publication. Bachmann was reportedly accompanied to the meeting by John Fund, a columnist for the Wall Street Journal. Fund has not responded to a request for comment.
Publishing a book to lay out one's political values is now an established rung on the ladder most politicians feel they must climb to make a serious run for president. It's a move Bachmann seems increasingly likely to take: Since March, the conservative firebrand has said that she might form a committee in June to explore seeking the GOP nomination, but Tuesday on Fox News she said that a decision could come sooner.
As the publishers in New York weight whether to move forward with Bachmann - a proposal first reported Tuesday by Ben Smith - one of their considerations will be whether she can deliver book sales anywhere close to the level of Sarah Palin. The fellow Tea Party favorite's first book, "Going Rogue," sold over 2 million hard cover copies.
Bachmann lacks the same high profile of the former Alaskan governor and GOP vice president nominee. The Minnesotan is, for example, not being represented by Washington super-agent Bob Barnett, who helped Palin secure her book deal.
But Bachmann still commands a large following among the conservative grassroots -- one which will likely be enlarged if she make a run for the White House.