Harpercollins

Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin reported that she had received at least $1.25 million for her memoir, "Going Rogue." A financial disclosure statement discusses Palin's finances from Jan. 1 to July 26, when she resigned as governor. Palin says she received the money from publisher HarperCollins.

Johnny Depp will launch a publishing imprint with Harper, a division of HarperCollins, called Infinitum Nihil. That's the same as his production company, which has had a hand in the films "The Rum Diary" (adapted from the novel by Hunter S. Thompson), "Hugo" (adapted from the children's book by Brian Selznick), and "Dark Shadows" and "The Lone Ranger," both film remakes of old television shows. Since graduating from "21 Jump Street," Depp has chosen roles that are a mixture of pop culture and literary adaptations.

"Pan's Labyrinth" director Guillermo del Toro is collaborating with crime author Chuck Hogan on a trilogy of vampire novels, starting next summer with "The Strain." "The idea is epic in scope," Del Toro said in a statement issued by publisher William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins. "The trilogy advances in unexpected ways, and each book contains unique and surprising revelations about the history, physiology and lore of the vampiric race, tracing its roots all the way back to its Old Testament origins."

With partisan feelings rising, House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) told the Ethics Committee on Thursday that his best-selling book was not based on material from his taxpayer-subsidized college course, sources familiar with the testimony said. The Speaker testified in private for three hours, also denying any conflict of interest with media baron Rupert Murdoch. Afterward, the ranking committee Democrat, Rep. Jim McDermott of Washington, told reporters that Republicans were botching the probe.

There was more bad news from the book industry Thursday: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt announced that it is "streamlining" its educational business and eliminating jobs in both its education and general divisions. HarperCollins and Pearson, parent company of Penguin Group (USA), are freezing wages and considering layoffs. "This is the most challenging economic environment that any of us has ever experienced," Penguin Group Chairman John Makinson wrote in a company memo. Houghton did not immediately say how many jobs would be lost in its consolidation efforts.

Electronic-book deals between Amazon.com Inc., Apple Inc. and major book publishers may be anti-competitive, Connecticut Atty. Gen. Richard Blumenthal said Monday. Blumenthal's office said he is investigating whether the terms of these agreements, in which Apple and Amazon "will receive the best prices for e-books over any competitors," lead to less competition when it comes to book pricing. "These agreements appear to deter certain publishers from offering discounts to Amazon and Apple's competitors — because they must offer the same to Amazon and Apple," Blumenthal's office said in a statement.

Sarah Palin's book tour is a gift for her base. No stops are planned in Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, Philadelphia and other major cities and book-buying communities that are standard for authors on the road, but where the voters tend to be Democrats. Beyond a Nov. 16 TV interview with Oprah Winfrey, nothing is scheduled for Chicago. New York will feature media appearances only. The itinerary for Palin, whose "Going Rogue" comes out Nov. 17, includes Noblesville, Ind.; Washington, Pa.; and Rochester, N.Y. "She wants to be unconventional.