Cheney shopping for book deal

WASHINGTON, May 23 (UPI) -- Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney is actively shopping for a book deal amid his blitz of speeches and television appearances, publishing sources said.

Cheney does not need the money but is eager to give a full account of his life in politics to combat his many critics, The New York Times reported Saturday.

Cheney wants upwards of $2 million in advance money, which may be difficult to get given the economic climate and his generally low approval ratings, which publishers view as a potential indicator of sales, publishing sources told the Times.

Cheney has spoken with HarperCollins and Regnery, a conservative publisher, but he also could end up with Simon & Schuster, where his friend and adviser, Mary Matalin, is editor in chief of Threshold, a conservative imprint that is publishing a book by former White House adviser Karl Rove, the Times reported.