If people thought the chick-lit version of Anna Wintour was nasty, wait 'til they meet the genre's take on publishing gorgon Judith Regan. Because She Can, the roman a clef by former Harper Collins editor Bridie Clark, doesn't drop until February, but galleys now circulating make The Devil Wears Prada, by former Vogue assistant Lauren Weisberger, seem gentle by comparison. Vivian Grant, the fictional version of Regan, is variously described as "a vengeful sociopath," "a lunatic," "an absolute horror," "a fierce, angry, nasty tyrant," and "her vileness."

Like the real Regan, Grant is a megalomaniacal boss who favors books by strippers, spouts a constant stream of abuse and profanity, talks incessantly about her sex life, and uses the gossip columns to smear former employees. So faithful is the portrait, in fact, one wonders just which details are actually drawn from reality.

For instance, did Regan actually try to slash Clark's salary offer by $10,000 after she'd accepted the job? Did she throw a chair across the room at one of her editors? Call an underling a "filthy whore" in a meeting? Brag about having "the biggest cock" at the company, or say, "I'm so horny. I just humped the arm of my chair. My son walked in while I was going at it"? Alas, Clark did not respond to our inquiry.

Not everyone in Because She Can is "fictional," however. Several real personalities, including Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter, New Yorker editor David Remnick, and Publishers Weekly editor Sara Nelson, make cameos. Sadly, Daily News gossip columnist Lloyd Grove, who bragged in a June 6 column that he had been name-checked in the book, appears to have been edited out—perhaps because of rumors that his time at the News is almost up?