Simon & Schuster last week signed an ambitious "umbrella deal" with the World Wrestling Federation. The publisher hopes to develop a new, wide-ranging franchise--complete with calendars, coffee-table books, audio editions and even novels.
"We're good at this. We did this with Star Trek, which started out just as paperback originals," said S&S spokesperson Adam Rothberg. "We know how to take these media properties and make them more than one-off autobiographies." The deal puts a deathblow on any further WWF-related ventures by Judith Regan, the publisher whose bestselling autobiographies from the likes of The Rock have made her synonymous with smack-downs. The WWF had a deal with Regan to publish nine books, a deal it is two titles away from fulfilling. In its 10-k filing for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2001, the WWF spoke with pride about its bestsellers and cited $4 million in book licensing revenue, but acknowledged it was "exploring new alternatives with other larger publishing entities."
S&S did not reveal the duration of the deal or the number of titles it would publish under it. And neither the WWF nor S&S would disclose a figure for the arrangement, but given its breadth--it covers all countries, all languages and locks up exclusive rights to all the WWF stars--it is likely to be high. In a time of uncertainty, S&S felt it was worth the cost. "Every publisher wants to have a reliable source of bestselling content that has a built-in promotional platform," Rothberg said. Books from Mick Foley, The Rock and Chyna have had long runs on the bestseller list, though recent wrestling autobiographies have slipped. The WWF has exclusive rights to all products marketed under a character's name.
With the agreement, S&S parent company Viacom hopes to capitalize on its minority stake in the WWF. It also has in mind its broadcast outlets; MTV, TNN and UPN all air WWF programs, and the relationships could provide an easy marketing springboard. Despite the compatibility, sources said that S&S conceived and pursued the deal itself, with no corporate order coming down from Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone to "bring all his wrestling children into one place."
