Olympic gold-medal-winning gymnast Nastia Liukin was probably wondering why, instead of her, Shawn Johnson got to say the pledge of allegiance on the last night of the Democratic National Convention, but she has some good news coming up to take her mind off the issue. (Well, she's probably a Republican anyway. Those gymnasts always are — but doesn't it just seem wrong? They compete in sequins.) Liukin is in talks to get a two-book publishing deal, according to Keith Kelly at the Post. The money is supposed to be well below the $1.6 million price tag that was attached to Michael Phelps's book, which seems pretty fair. Liukin, after all, chose a sport in which athletes don't compete with their abdominals exposed. Still, good for Nastia! Since she was kind of robbed in that weird tiebreaker with 14-year-old He Kexin, she needed a little boost. Our only question is, will she dedicate both books to her hard-driving, creepily-mouth-kissing dad/coach Valeri, or just one?

VAULTING INTO BOOK DEAL [NYP]
Earlier: Michael Phelps Scored $1.6 Million Book Deal