Sheryl Sandberg (Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images)

Remember in the early 2000s when Oprah popularized the Book Club among suburban matriarchs everywhere? Taking a cue from the media queen, your mom and her friends met monthly to laugh, cry, Eat, Pray, Love, and down Pinot Grigio.

If women sought escapism from their hectic lives through reading and meeting with friends at the turn of the millennium, it seems that this decade, they're following Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg's lead, seeking to buckle down and make office life work for them, if this Slate column is any indication.

Katherine Goldstein read Ms. Sandberg's Lean In, and has since formed a group of seven ladies seeking to reap the full benefits of their office jobs. In the past two months, two of the ladies have successfully gotten raises while a third is waiting to hear back but is "proud that she spoke up for herself" no matter the outcome.

"All three women credit either Sandberg's book or our meetings with inspiring them to ask for more money," Ms. Goldstein says. "I think we're off to a good start."

Good on you, ladies. We don't know what the rules are vis-a-vis booze at a Lean In Circle, but taking steps to close the gender pay gap calls for Pinot toasts all around.

Ms. Sandberg.

Since hitting bookstores, Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In has inspired a national conversation about gender and work. There's some evidence it's already having an impact, offering women a great excuse to play hardball in salary talks.

Now comes the inevitable commercial spin-off. The New York Times reports that the technology used to organize and maintain those controversial "Lean In" circles is now available for brands, corporations and their ilk. Starting this summer, users will be able to pony up for features like data analytics.

The software was created by Mightybell, a new startup from Lean In Foundation cofounder and former Ning CEO Gina Bianchini. She explained the tech to the Times: "What if an influencer, or a brand, or an organization, could go from having passive followers to an active army? It’s like nothing that’s been offered before.” Did she mention they power Lean In circles?

It's a little disconcerting to see all that activist energy harnessed to hawk software. But then, "Lean In" is just too great a tagline to belong only to the cause of feminists. And so Betabeat has some suggestions for potential licensing opportunities:

1. A clothing line heavy on boxy business suits.

2. A new digital currency to rival Bitcoin--but for the ladies, and therefore worth only $.77 to the dollar.

3. A sex position where the girl climbs on top and leans forward. It's empowering and sexy!

4. This summer's hottest haircut, that kind of bob that sort of curves forward.

5. A new fast-casual dining establishment where you have to eat messy food standing up.

6. Psy-inspired dance craze.

7. A game show hosted by Ryan Seacrest, who'll constantly yell "LEAN IN! LEAN IN!" at contestants.

8. Special-edition Baby Bjorn.

9. HerbalLife-style home-based business (and/or pyramid scheme), in the grand tradition of Mary Kay. Maybe there's an opportunity here for Bedroom Kandi?

10. A book of dating advice for lovelorn beta males, authored by a pickup artist.

Ms. Sandberg.

Guess you can convince a friend to cover up your Most Likely to Succeed win, but there's no escaping destiny. On top of everything else, Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, is now a successful author. The New York Post reports:

"Sandberg's "Lean In" sold 140,000 copies its first week of publication, has gone back to press seven times for additional printings and now has 400,000 copies in print, publisher Alfred A. Knopf announced Wednesday."

It's also topped Amazon's best-seller list since its debut.

Guess folks finally read the book!

(Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images)

"I want to be clear--I'm not trying to tell anyone what do to. And I'm not trying to prescribe goals for anyone," said Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg last night at Time Warner. She was patiently explaining yet again the purpose of Lean In: "I'm trying to help women answer the question, 'If I do want leadership, how do I get there?'"

"My book is not meant to be comprehensive. I don't have parenting advice, it doesn't go deeply into the public policy issues. It's one piece of the puzzle."

As she was introduced, Ms. Sandberg took a brief moment to examine her sleek dark dress for imperfections, picking at a few invisibile specks of fluff before settling back into her chair with cotillion-appropriate demureness and flashing that million-watt boardroom-ready smile. Moderating: Time deputy managing editor Nancy Gibbs. The audience was full of heavy hitters, with questions from attendees like Leslie Stahl and Gayle King. 

It's not like Ms. Sandberg relishes breaking the bad news to her fellow working women. Sure, she tells women they have to frame requests for raises in terms of the company's best interests, but "I hate that advice. I hate the advice I have to give women. I want all of this to change."

"In the meantime, I'd rather teach women to say 'we' and get paid more."

It also sounds like Ms. Sandberg spends a fair bit of her jetset life seething with exasperation. She recently attended "very exclusive conference of course attended mostly by men." A fellow conference-goer (male, of course) sat down next to her at lunch, and as she recounted, their conversation went a little something like this:

Him: "Remember us."
Ms. Sandberg: "What do you mean?"
Him: "Remember us. There's a place for men when you're all running the world."
Ms. Sandberg: "Look around this conference. You guys are in good shape! You're good to go."
Ms. Sandberg, again: "There has never been a woman who ran a company in your industry ever."
Him: "Well, the end of men is coming."

Someone rescue this man from his own Atlantic subscription, please.

Forget all that, though: What about working from home?

Ms. Sandberg didn't miss a beat, and she certainly didn't mention Marissa Mayer: "There are Facebook employees we've never met. Not joking."

It wasn't so long ago that the Nook was the key to Barnes & Noble's future. Now the bookseller is planning to back off of its efforts to sell its own e-reader, and is working on strengthening partnerships with tablet suppliers. [NYT]

It's not that Julian Assange isn't giving interviews—it's just that he's leading a busy life inside the Ecuadorian government's London embassy, and it's a question of fitting reporters in. [Ars Technica]

Kara Swisher leans into the backlash against Facebook COO's Sheryl Sandberg's new book. [AllThingsD]

In case you can't wait for the competing biopics currently in production, here's what it's like to go on a double-date with John McAfee. [PandoDaily]

(Photo: NJ Governor's Office/Tim Larsen)

Twitter, Tumblr and Pinterest were hacked this week, after a security breach at customer-service provider Zendesk allowed a hacker to access user email addresses at the three social media companies. [Wired]

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg's book marketing plans include "Lean in Circles," in which women study Ms. Sandberg's curriculum for career success. [NYT]

Twitter cofounder Ev Williams talks about when—and when not—to sell your company. [Medium]

Nevada became the first state to legalize online gambling. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie may sign a law legalizing Internet gambling in his state as early as next week. [The Washington Post]

If you're a "startup junky," what are you really addicted to? [PandoDaily]

Boss. (Photo: flickr.com/jurvetson)

Want some career advice from Sheryl Sandberg? Good news for those of you without an in--the Facebook COO has written a book about women and leadership. AllThingsD reports that Ms. Sandberg has signed a deal with the publisher Knopf, for something titled Lean In. It's due to hit shelves sometime in 2013--presumably in the spring, so every single woman graduating from anything anywhere in America can receive a gift copy.

Perhaps we now have yet another reason she insists on leaving work at 5:30 on the dot every day?

Concerned it'll be nothing but fuzzy lady logic, wrapped up in feelings and topped with a girl-power bow? AllThingsD reports the book will be a "call to action," built on research and data. This is the den mom who civilized the Facebook frat house, folks.

Ms. Sandberg offered ATD a teaser of the subject matter:

“I believe that the world would be a better place if half our institutions were run by women, and half our homes were run by men,” said Sandberg in an email to me earlier this week. “The book contains practical advice for women — and the men who want to help them — on how to lean in and close the gap.”

Also worth considering is this line from one of the many speeches she's given recently:

“So, my heartfelt message is: Don’t leave before you leave. Don’t lean back, lean in. Keep your foot on the gas pedal until the day you have to make a decision. That’s the only way to ensure you even have a decision to make.”

While we're on the subject: Whither the Facebook book boom? So far it's just Sandberg and one-time ghostwriter Katherine Losse. Is the publishing industry yet another victim of Facebook's underwhelming IPO?