Publisher Stands Behind Sarah Palin Book, Author Joe McGinniss

An attorney for Sarah Palin, John Tiemessen, sent a letter telling the Crown Publishing Group unit of Random House Inc. and McGinniss to get ready for legal action, Reuters reported.

This book contains a series of lies and rumors presented as fact and combined with 'anonymous' sources, Tiemessen wrote in the letter. The final work that was published contains most of the stories that Mr. McGinniss complains were nothing more than 'tawdry gossip' that amounted to the wishful fantasies of disturbed individuals.

Crown disagrees with this characterization.

Spokesman Stuart Applebaum said McGinniss' book on Palin is solid, reliable, and well-substantiated, The Associated Press reported.

According to the publisher's Web site, McGinniss combines his deep appreciation of the place Sarah Palin comes from with his uncanny ability to penetrate the façades of people in public life. The result is an extraordinary double narrative that alternately traces Palin's curious rise to political prominence and worldwide celebrity status and recounts the author's day-to-day experiences as he uncovers the messy reality beneath the glossy Palin myth.

The controversy over McGinniss' book comes a week after the release of Levi Johnston's book, Deer in the Headlights: My Life in Sarah Palin's Crosshairs.