Sarah Palin's advance: $1.25 million

It has been revealed that Sarah Palin received an advance of $1.25 million from HarperCollins, one of the world most reputable publishing houses, for her soon-to-be-released memoir “Going Rogue”. One has to give it to Palin: seven years ago she was mayor of Wasilla, a sprawling metropolis of more than 6,000 people in Alaska. In the following years she became governor of Alaska, then the GOP vice presidential candidate, then simultaneously one of the most loved and most hated people in the country, then a former governor, and, as she is now, and you can mortgage your house on it, on the brink of becoming a best-selling author. On the date of the book announcement, "Going Rogue" shot straight to No. 1 on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com. Palin will appear on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" the day before the release of her book – a sure-fire further shot in the arm for sales. Read more: BusinessWeek