Julie K. Brown — the Miami Herald investigative reporter whose explosive articles on Jeffrey Epstein prompted federal sex trafficking charges against him — sold a book on the billionaire pedophile to Viking before his July arrest, sources exclusively told Page Six.
But after the arrest went down, Brown decided to exit the deal and re-shop the book, which has ruffled some feathers in the staid publishing world.
As part of the unorthodox move, Brown has parted ways with power literary agency ICM Partners, sources said.
She’s now being repped by Laurie Liss of Sterling Lord Literistic.
Brown’s crusading reporting on Epstein included behind-the-scenes details of his infamous “sweetheart” plea deal in Florida in 2008 that allowed him to escape federal charges, and she also tracked down about 80 alleged victims.
Epstein was arrested in early July, but Brown had already sold the book on him.
When the Epstein arrest story “blew up” and resulted in renewed interest in her reports, Brown reconsidered the Viking deal, a source said, and “hired a new agent to shop it again. It’s very unusual in publishing.”
It’s unclear how far along the deal was.
Sources indicated it was more than an initial deal memo, but hadn’t been completely negotiated.
A book insider huffed, “In publishing when you make a deal, you have a deal.”
Either way, the blockbuster project will certainly be a hot commodity . . . again.
Brown and ICM did not comment.
Liss and Viking did not get back to us.