Bam! Now you see him, now you don’t…and now you’re going to see Emeril again! In ten new books, in fact, through a deal with Martha Stewart Omnimedia Inc. – which owns the rights to the Emeril Lagasse book franchise – and publisher HarperCollins.
The kitchen cheerleader is set to release the first book, an edition on indoor and outdoor grilling, in May 2009, and though he’s produced twelve books prior with HarperCollins, this will be Emeril’s first in four years.
Though the terms of the contract remain undisclosed, it is known that Emeril will receive 50% of all profits to compensate for a modest advance, a new trend in publishing to help combat stagnant book sales and climbing production costs. MSLO Executive chairman Charles Koppelman thinks Emeril is “the perfect author” for the new “cutting-edge book publishing formula.”
So far Lagasse has generated $17 million in revenue since MSLO purchased the Emeril franchise for $50 million in February. In addition to the book deal, Emeril writes for a column in the Domestic Queen’s Everyday Cooking magazine, has deals for a television show and cookware line, and a regular gig on The Martha Stewart Show.
So let’s hope that in addition for a recipe for a fabulous jambalaya, Emeril’s also got the ingredients for a comeback hidden under his chef’s hat.
[Image via WENN.]
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