The author behind Bringing Down the House is chronicling the adventures of Facebook’s founders.
“My next big book is about the kids who founded Facebook,” revealed author Ben Mezrich to the Boston Herald. Mezrich will be working constantly throughout this holiday season so his publisher DoubleDay can start making edits and print in time for the book’s launch in late 2009.
In particular, Mezrich intends on weaving together the multiple stories of Harvard students building competing social networks that spawned numerous lawsuits between the graduates after Facebook found worldwide success. Part of this culture are Harvard’s Final Clubs, quasi-secret societies Mezrich described as “more open and social” than the typical Ivy League organization.
Aside from the sideshows, he’ll continue to focus on “entrepreneurship at Harvard and about Mark Zuckerberg.”
Mezrich took his interview opportunity to dispel rumors about the book, falsely titled “Face Off”, spread by Gawker. Stories about Zuckerberg creating Facebook as a woman-comparison site or that the site’s success led to wild Harvard partying are largely false.
“What was in Gawker – that was not all truth. That’s not what the book is about. What is Gawker even doing writing something about me?” asked Mezrich.
Movie rights for the untitled book have already been sold with screenwriter Aaron Sorkin set to adapt the script. Through their work on 21, Kevin Spacey will likely help Mezrich with his future film projects.
“He’s very smart and it’s always good to hear from someone with an eye toward whether something would make a good movie,” Mezrich said. “I think about that early on. He’s one of my first readers, from a very early stage, even when I just have a book proposal.”
Published: Dec 18, 2008 01:30 pm