FishbowlNY scores a small scoop today with Jared Paul Stern's "book cover concept," as designed by famous book designer Chip Kidd:

This image was lost some time after publication, but you can still view it here.


[Click to enlarge.]

We saw this last week, courtesy of a bookland source, and were sworn to secrecy. But the questions we had then remain true now, and they all boil down to: Huh? The cover clearly says "A Memoir," but Stern is quoted by FB saying that it won't necessarily be a memoir. In fact, he won't say much of anything to him, except that he has hired "entertainment counsel" to deal with "offers." And he says he has no agent yet. So we're reading that as no book proposal, not even a solid book idea, and certainly no book deal. But a cover. Allegedly by Kidd. (Note the blurb on the back cover.) Has anyone even checked with Kidd to make sure he really did this? And, if you do touch base with him, one other question: Why?

UPDATE: JPS checks in to explain. "Chip's an old friend of mine, and I wouldn't let anyone else do my cover," he writes.

Chip Kidd's Jared Paul Stern Book Cover Concept [FBNY]
Earlier: Gawker's coverage of Jared Paul Stern.