Ray Kelly reveals little about possible book deal

NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly was toasted by Vanity Fair contributing editor Jim Kelly at the Kelly Gang’s final gathering with Ray as the reigning police commissioner on Dec. 20 at the Four Seasons.

Of course, Media Ink was more concerned with which publishing house was going to land the book deal once he leaves office next week.

As luck would have it, the high powered Washington DC-based literary attorney Bob Barnett, who has been retained by Ray Kelly, was having lunch at a nearby table with one of Penguin’s top editors, Adrian Zackheim, who heads the publisher’s business imprint Portfolio.

Barnett, of course, has commanded megadeals for everyone from Bill and Hilary Clinton to George W. Bush and Sarah Palin.

Barnett and Zackheim both stopped by to schmooze with the commish, but Ray was revealing little about any book.

He said he has not decided on whether it will be a memoir style or a management/leadership type book. “There is no book yet,” said Commissioner Kelly.

He said he will be discussing it all with Barnett — but after he leaves office.

“I’m a babe in the woods on this,” he said. “That’s why I’m talking with these guys.”

As the longest-serving police commissioner in New York City history with a national profile, the commissioner’s book is expected to draw intense bidding among publishing.

But it could be a few months before an outline is finalized and publishers get meetings to discuss what some insiders are predicting will be a seven-figure deal.