Goldman Quitter Seeking Book Deal

Well, that’s a shocker. First came the op-ed, now the book? Greg Smith, the former Goldman Sachs executive who resigned from a high-placed position at the banking giant through a scathing New York Times op-ed has an agent and is meeting with publishers, reports (who else?) the New York Times.

The book appears to be a combination of a coming-of-age story and a history of Goldman Sachs and how the company’s culture has changed over the years. Shortly after his op-ed was published, Bloomberg wrote that Smith was avoiding book agents and publishers eager for a piece of what Reuters’ Alison Frankel describes as “the financial world’s equivalent of Kim Kardashian’s divorce.”

Now it seems Smith might have changed his mind and wants to write his story, perhaps persuaded by those who think it could be a big hit. There are several potential pitfalls though, points out the New York Daily News. First, it isn’t clear how much he’ll be able to write about his time at Goldman without violating non-disclosure agreements. And also, it’s unclear whether the public will really feel much sympathy for Smith, and a backlash seems inevitable.