Martha Stewart: Side of Emeril to Go

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia has just bought the Emeril Lagasse franchise: books, TV shows, and products. All it cost was $45 million cash and another $5 million in stock. The total price could hit as much as $70 million, should the enterprise hit preset goals. The acquisition doesn't include Lagasse's company, which includes his corporate office and restaurants.

So, why the deal? Remember back with me to late last year, when the Food Network decided to stop filming the show Emeril Live. Here you see an example of real platform. The EL show was fairly popular, got lots of people saying "Bam," and turned Lagasse into a very hot commodity. But while he would still have had the Essence of Emeril show, it was a low-key affair with no screaming audience members and, presumably, a lot less mojo. No inside info here - just what I've seen on the Food Network and from being a food fan.

But I'd argue that this makes business sense, and it shows you the Essence of Platform: screaming fans that want what you provide. Not expertise; the Food Network has been cutting out a growing number of the show hosts that were actually chefs. But when that driving force is taken away, the whole kit and kaboodle is suddenly a lot less desirable on its own.

However, MSLO has the television distribution and already deals with magazines, books, and products. This was a natural match, and a very smart one. Because while MS has platform, the company needs more than her as a brand, or it could literally live or die on her mortal existence. Suddenly they had an opportunity to snag another personal brand that was a compliment, and so they paid a good amount. When an editor talks to you about brand, understand that this is the type of grand notion he or she really wants. Having a blog alone won't do it. Earning a special degree or certification won't do it. Those are the barriers to entry to seem credible. Then you have to get people wanting you. If you can do that, the publishing world will look far more kindly on you than you thought was possible.

Now, if someone can only get Rachel Ray off the Wheat Thins cracker boxes.

Book Platform Isn't Expertise

I was part of an online discussion about the Jessica Seinfeld cookbook and all the controversy about whether she or her publisher stole the concept from Missy Chase Lapine. (In case you're late to the controversy party, you can see something about this here and here on my food blog.)

One of the reactions many writers had was that it seemed unfair that the commedian's wife should get a book deal because she wasn't a nutrition or food expert. She had no platform in the topic. She was just married to someone famous. I'd like to take a moment and disabuse many of an erroneous concept. Platform has everything to do with the writer generating sales by the mere connection to a book and nothing to do with expertise, except as that expertise feeds into the sales. I repeat - platform is all about the sales. That's all the publishers care about. I think it's an ultimately short-sighted view of their businesses, as if what the customers wanted didn't matter. But if you're going to deal with the commercial publishing world, you have to understand this.

I see many writers starting blogs, trying to get specialized certifications of knowledge, write articles on a topic, and generally show that they know about a subject. But few actually get somewhere. The publishers don't care if you have a blog or web site, unless it has lots of readers. They don't care if you have Ivy League degrees up and down your arm unless you put yourself into positions where you can promote your book. By the way, part of this can be nothing more than perception of the publishers; they think you're doing things that indicate an audience, and so assume you have one.

Until writers begin to understand this dynamic, they won't build an audience, won't have a platform, and won't get meaningful book deals.