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NY's US Sen. Gillibrand has book deal

[August 13, 2013]  NEW YORK (AP) --  U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is very much an advocate for leaning in.

Gillibrand, a New York Democrat, has a deal with Ballantine Bantam Dell to write a book that's both a memoir and a call to action for women and will build upon the goals of her Off the Sidelines political action committee.

"I am incredibly excited about this opportunity to expand on the work I have been doing through my Off the Sidelines initiative, encouraging all women - whether they're in the halls of government, executive boardrooms and corner offices or attending local government meetings, PTA meetings and even neighborhood gatherings - to make their voices heard," Gillibrand said in a statement issued by Ballantine.

The publisher, a division of Random House Inc., told The Associated Press on Monday the Gillibrand book, currently untitled, is scheduled for the fall of 2014.

Gillibrand, since joining the U.S. Senate in 2009, has been recruiting women for political office and through Off the Sidelines has raised more than $1 million for female candidates. In a recent interview, Gillibrand said she "looks out" for books by and about women such as Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg's best-selling "Lean In," a manifesto for women in the workplace, and the million-selling "Living History," by Hillary Rodham Clinton, whom Gillibrand succeeded in the Senate after Clinton became U.S. secretary of state.

"I've already learned so much from Hillary as a role model and from the challenges she's faced," said Gillibrand, whose literary representative, Robert Barnett, negotiated deals for "Living History" and for Clinton's upcoming book about her years as secretary of state.

Gillibrand has been mentioned as a possible presidential candidate for 2016, and books have become a standard part of national campaigns. But the senator has said her dream is to see Clinton get the job.

Gillibrand, the 46-year-old mother of two young boys, wants to use her own life as an example for others. According to Ballantine, her book will include "stories about her upbringing, her experiences in Congress, the friendships she has forged there, and how she integrates marriage and motherhood into a dynamic and demanding political career."

Gillibrand was a little-known congresswoman in upstate New York before being selected by then-Gov. David Paterson to replace Clinton. Initially labeled by critics as too inexperienced and conservative, Gillibrand became a popular senator in her own right, easily winning an election in 2010 to complete Clinton's term and winning by a landslide last fall to serve a full six-year term. She helped lead the fight to allow gays in the military and has been praised as an effective, tenacious legislator who can work with legislators from both major parties.

The senator, who will have a collaborator for the book, told the AP that she had "started thinking about stories" she wanted to tell and about "life lessons" that she wanted to share. Her contract with Ballantine will be subject to review by the Senate Ethics Committee, and financial terms weren't disclosed.

[Associated Press; By HILLEL ITALIE]

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