Simon & Schuster paid Patriots QB Tom Brady an estimated $5M advance for his forthcoming book "The TB12 Method" in a bet it will "appeal not just to NFL fans and weekend warriors, but anyone searching for secrets to maintain peak health and fitness as they get older," according to Jeffrey Trachtenberg of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. The advance payment is "far higher than the sums paid for comparable advice-themed books by athletes such as Tiger Woods and Michael Phelps." Brady in the book, which is being released on Sept. 19, expounds on the "famously disciplined diet and fitness regimen that he credits with helping him play at the highest level" in the NFL at age 40. It offers the "most detailed insights yet" into Brady’s "exercise and nutritional approach." Rival publishers say turning a profit off the $5M advance could be a "hard play" for Simon & Schuster. An industry rule-of-thumb "suggests that a publisher has to sell 100,000 hardcover copies" for every $1M of advance to "recoup their investment, which would mean 'The TB12 Method' will have to sell roughly 500,000 copies." Only six nonfiction titles published in the U.S. last year "sold more than 500,000 hardcover copies." Meanwhile, the book also marks the latest move for Brady as he "builds out his TB12 brand, which has become the focus of his off-the-field business activities." His TB12 website "sells $25 T-shirts, a $200 nutrition manual, boxed snacks priced at $50, and links to a $78-a-week meal-subscription plan" set up in partnership with plant-based meal subscription service Purple Carrot (WSJ.com, 9/8).
