Martha Stewart Expose Has Publishing Dish
by Judy Quinn -- Publishers Weekly, 6/16/1997
To be jointly serialized by the Star and the National Enquirer today, Jerry Oppenheimer's Martha Stewart: Just Desserts (Morrow) has been the subject of interest in the book publishing community, due to Stewart's own bestselling books, published at Clarkson Potter, and her ex-husband Andrew Stewart's ties to publishing, first at Abrams, then Stewart, Tabori &Chang and now Chanticleer Press. On the eve of its release of the embargoed book, Oppenheimer, who previously has written unauthorized biographies of Rock Hudson, Barbara Walters and Ethel Kennedy, told PW that book includes publishing-related charges, such as that Stewart tried to diminish text collaborator Elizabeth Hawes's contributions to her books, "borrowed" recipes from other authors and created a "Martha Stewart myth" that far differs from reality.Clarkson Potter declined official comment on Just Desserts, but Stewart's publicist Susan Magrino had this official statement: "The author is a man who has been sued for libel previously and is noted for negative unauthorized biographies. This is his journalistic style, and he seems to be following his usual patterns. We aren't going to dignify these kinds of allegations and have no further comment."
Oppenheimer told PW that he interviewed over 400 sources during his research for the book and that it has been fully vetted by lawyers. He also stated that Stewart had been "siccing her lawyers on Morrow" to block publication of the book and that though she was given a chance to sit down for an interviewed, she declined. Oppenheimer begins his media tour this week and the book, which has a 60,000 first printing, hits stores on Wednesday.
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