I'm wondering how old the S&S editor who took this project on is, and how big they think the book is going to be. I don't think any of Chuck's books, except You and Me, Babe, were best sellers (and rumor has it that was a big hit because Chuck bought a hell of a lot of copies himself). Confessions of a Dangerous Mind was a spectacular bomb when it was first released, for example.
Still, ya never know.