A tell-all book written by an award-winning journalist who has covered some of the most important stories of our time, including Hurricane Katrina and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, should be pretty juicy, right?
Well, apparently that is not the case for Lester Holt, who is currently looking for a publishing deal for his first book, “The Genius of Joy.” But rather than sharing graphic details of what it was like reporting from the ground during the war in Afghanistan or spilling tea on a potential backstabbing between network personalities, the book focuses on “his experiences as a jazz bassist,” according to Page Six.
If that news is a little bit of a letdown, you’re not alone.
While Holt has received “multiple seven-figure offers,” some potential publishing partners are apparently “a little leery” about backing a book that doesn’t deliver the dirt. Holt’s agents predict his deal will “close around $2 million.”
With over 40 years in journalism, Holt joined the NBC News team in 2000, where he is now the anchor of “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt” and “Dateline NBC.” The first Black person to serve as the solo anchor of a network nightly newscast, he is also frequently called on to cover special reports and breaking news for NBC.
When he’s not on the air, Holt is making music, playing bass guitar in a band along with some of the video editors from “Dateline NBC” called The Rough Cuts.
“I love all kinds of music,” he told AARP Magazine in 2018. “But jazz is my favorite style. There’s a freedom of expression in jazz; it’s improvisational. I never play a tune the same way twice.
Check out one of the Rough Cuts’ sound checks here.
As Page Six reports, Holt’s book is not all about his experience with music. Sources say the book also touches on larger issues, including “how music, and specifically black music like gospel, R&B, jazz and so on, creates joy.”