All Out for Tyler

by John F. Baker -- Publishers Weekly, 3/21/2005

The name Tyler Perry was hardly a blip on the screens of most white folk until his movie Diary of a Mad Black Woman,starring his outrageous female character Madea, suddenly expanded beyond his core African-American audience to become America's #1 hit last month. Now actor-producer-director Perry, who has eight shows out with a national touring company, is so hot that publishers are waving large sums at him for a planned book that will get some Madea sass on the printed page. As yet untitled, it will offer comic advice to black women. By late last week, bidding was up around the

$2-million mark; agent Jay Mandel at William Morris was trying to put the finishing touches to a deal, though he said it's unlikely to be done before this appears. Perry is quoted as saying, "I know my audience, and they're not people the studios know anything about." Probably equally true about the reading audience, and it's one publishers aim to tap. Stay tuned.