Mindy Kaling has talked about her “weird as hell” relationship with B.J. Novak a lot in the past year. When she was on Howard Stern’s show last summer, Stern asked her a lot of questions about her love life, and Mindy ended up making headlines because she honestly described being dumped by Novak when she was 24 years old and how devastating it was for her, because she thought they would get married. She also talked about Novak in her recent InStyle Magazine cover story, saying: “He is not my boyfriend, but he is not my best friend. I guess you could describe our relationship as a ‘romantically charged camaraderie with loud arguments.’”

Whatever is going on with them, I don’t really think it’s healthy. I think they love each other and Mindy is still into him and he’s maybe playing some games. Like, I think he cares about her and he doesn’t want her to be with anyone else, but he still doesn’t want to be her boyfriend. We’ve all had relationships like that, but usually those relationships are when you’re college-aged and angsty and worried about things getting “too real.” For Mindy and Novak to continue this pattern well into their mid-to-late 30s is… weird as hell. And now they’re going to write a book about it.

Mindy’s next project is going to be a whopper. Mindy Kaling and B.J. Novak will make $7.5 million for penning a book about their off-and-on romance, according to a well-placed publishing industry source. We’re told the book is likely to include juicy information about “The Office” stars’ “complicated” courtship, which coincided with their roles on the NBC comedy, which ran from 2005-13.

“It’s a crazy price!” our source said. We’re told that lofty amount will be shelled out by a division of Random House. It would rank somewhere between what a heavyweight like Lena Dunham and a superheavyweight Hillary Clinton might collect. We’re told the book’s title will likely be announced May 30 at the Javits Center, where the pair are to appear at BookCon. We’re told the formal announcement of the book was supposed to have been “a surprise,” which means this article will be an even bigger one. Until now, that May 30 event was being billed as a chat about Kaling’s second book of essays, “Why Not Me?” The collection follows up on her 2011 best seller, “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)”

Kaling soon may have fodder for another book after this is all over. While the collaboration with Novak is to be published by a yet-to-be-named Random House imprint, her essay collection is being put out Sept. 29 by Crown Books — a direct competitor. There’s a rumor among publishing insiders that Random House could be using Kaling and Novak’s book to launch a new imprint that could appeal to authors with sensibilities and followings similar to those of the two “Office” stars.

[From NYDN]

Wow, relationship drama AND publishing drama. Well, as long as they’re making some kind of profit along the line, more power to them. But it feels like public foreplay, like they’re going to be airing all of their relationship drama in public and maybe that will force them to finally admit that they should be together. As I said, I think Mindy is already there – she wants to be with Novak. He’s the withholder.

Oh, and Hulu has picked up The Mindy Project and they’ve already ordered 26 new episodes!!! THR had a very interesting story about how the deal came together – Kaling nurtured her relationship with the Hulu brass for a long time, and when TMP was on the bubble again this year, she was already talking to Hulu executives about picking up the show. Good for her!

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.