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So it’s looking like Cash Money is going to attempt to hustle some books. It helps that the Wall Street Journal is reporting on it, because Birdman has been known to just make up businesses he is involved in. According to WSJ:
- “We think we can do more, market books in a new way,” said Bryan “Birdman” Williams, the younger of the brothers, who is also a rap artist on their independent music label. “We want to put out five or six books a year.”
Cash Money Content has an agreement with the Atria Books imprint of CBS Corp.’s Simon & Schuster to market and distribute the books. The Williams brothers, whose music label is distributed by Vivendi SA’s Universal Music Group, will own the books.
“Cash Money has a particular expertise in the audience they appeal to, and they feel it’s important for their audience to read books,” said Judith Curr, Atria’s publisher.
The new imprint’s list of titles doesn’t initially include any music-related books. Rather, it will debut in February with “Raw Law: An Urban Guide to Criminal Justice,” written by Muhammad Ibn Bashir, a lawyer. In March, it will publish Wahida Clark’s “Justify My Thug,” a paperback original novel. Cash Money also was able to secure the rights to the memoir “Pimp” by the late Iceberg Slim. All three titles are listed in Atria’s spring 2011 catalog.
“We intend to publish all kinds of authors,” said Vernon Brown, the brothers’ attorney and business manager. “Our ultimate goal is a good catalog of authors and books in all topics, including education, politics, food, and lifestyle, and to touch all demographics.”
Not all of Cash Money’s efforts have succeeded. In 2001, the Williams brothers launched Cash Money Pictures with the intention of making films that reflected the record label’s sensibilities. None were produced. “We set out to look at material, but didn’t find any that the guys felt was worth producing,” said Mr. Brown.
For the book effort, Mr. Brown said cross-promotion with the music label will include inviting authors out on stage during concerts, and having the label’s performers attend events for new titles.
“You’re going to see TV commercials, billboards, and plenty of YouTube videos featuring artists and writers talking about books,” said Mr. Brown. “Our books will also be sold at our concerts. When you’re out in front of 18,000 people, some will buy books, some not. But right now many of those fans aren’t being told what books are great. We’ll do that.”
You know you are a Young Money/Cash Money stan if you cop one of their books, with one of their credit cards.