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Simon & Schuster to co-publish hip-hop-themed novels with 50 Cent's G-Unit

Tanya Kersey
BlackTalentNews.com
(November 16, 2005) Rapper-turned-actor Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson will be launching a brand new imprint of street fiction called G-Unit Books. The new line of hip-hop novellas and graphic novels will feature 50's G-Unit members Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, Young Buck and Olivia as characters.

G-Unit Books is a co-production with Simon & Schuster, specifically Pocket's Louise Burke and MTV Books' Jacob Hoyt (who published 50's memoir.) The imprint, which includes both novellas and graphic novels, will launch in 2007 with a novella by Nikki Turner, author of The Glamorous Life and A Hustler's Wife, will pen the line's first novella.

Pocket/MTV Books promised the venture would showcase "gritty" stories and cover much of the same terrain as 50 Cent's raps. "These tales will tell the truth about The Life; the sex, guns and cash; the brutal highs and short lives of the players on the streets," the publisher said in a press release.

50's autobiography, From Pieces to Weight: Once Upon a Time in Southside Queens, spent eight weeks on the New York Times best-seller list and has sold more than 40,000 copies since its release on Aug. 9, according to Nielsen BookScan.

50 Cent has sold over 20 million records worldwide. His record-breaking debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin' has sold over 12 million units worldwide, with the largest debut in SoundScan history. While his sophomore effort, The Massacre, sold over 1.14 million copies in its fi rst four days of release, he has since become the fi rst artist to have four songs in the top ten of Billboard's Hot 100 since The Beatles in 1964.

His business empire includes: a record label (G-Unit Records, a division of Interscope Records), apparel/footwear ventures (G-Unit Clothing and footwear, joint ventures through the Ecko Clothing Company and Reebok, respectively), vitamin water (Formula 50, through Glacéau's Vitamin Water), watch line (G-Unit Watches, through Jacob & Co), and a video game (50 Cent: Bulletproof, through Vivendi Games). His future plans are to dominate the film and television worlds through two new G-Unit ventures in film and television...and his most prized project: the nonprofit organization The G-Unity Foundation, which aims to better the life of urban youth.

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Click here for free delivery of the Target Market News Bulletin You'll receive news of breaking stories, exclusives, updates and headlines on the latest developments in African American marketing and media Black Stats Frequently requested data on African American consumers Black Buying Power: $679 Billion (2004) Black U.S. Population: 38.3 million Top Five Black Cities - New York - Chicago - Detroit - Philadelphia - Houston Top Five Black Metros: - New York-New Jersey - Washington-Baltimore - Chicago-Gary - Los Angeles - Philadelphia Top Five Expenditures: - Housing 110.2 bil. - Food 53.8 bil. - Cars/Trucks 28.7 bil. - Clothing 22.0 bil. - Health Care 17.9 bil. Click here for more stats from "The Buying Power of Black America." ______________________ Get quick access to key U.S. Census Bureau Data Click here to go to African-American Census Bureau data _____________________ Copyright `© 2005 by Target Market News Inc.` All rights reserved Business address: 228 S. Wabash Ave. Suite 210 Chicago, IL 60604 t. 312-408-1881 f. 312-408-1867 info@targetmarketnews.com	THE LATEST NEWS Simon & Schuster to co-publish hip-hop-themed novels with 50 Cent's G-Unit Tanya Kersey BlackTalentNews.com (November 16, 2005) Rapper-turned-actor Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson will be launching a brand new imprint of street fiction called G-Unit Books. The new line of hip-hop novellas and graphic novels will feature 50's G-Unit members Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, Young Buck and Olivia as characters. G-Unit Books is a co-production with Simon & Schuster, specifically Pocket's Louise Burke and MTV Books' Jacob Hoyt (who published 50's memoir.) The imprint, which includes both novellas and graphic novels, will launch in 2007 with a novella by Nikki Turner, author of The Glamorous Life and A Hustler's Wife, will pen the line's first novella. Pocket/MTV Books promised the venture would showcase "gritty" stories and cover much of the same terrain as 50 Cent's raps. "These tales will tell the truth about The Life; the sex, guns and cash; the brutal highs and short lives of the players on the streets," the publisher said in a press release. 50's autobiography, From Pieces to Weight: Once Upon a Time in Southside Queens, spent eight weeks on the New York Times best-seller list and has sold more than 40,000 copies since its release on Aug. 9, according to Nielsen BookScan. 50 Cent has sold over 20 million records worldwide. His record-breaking debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin' has sold over 12 million units worldwide, with the largest debut in SoundScan history. While his sophomore effort, The Massacre, sold over 1.14 million copies in its fi rst four days of release, he has since become the fi rst artist to have four songs in the top ten of Billboard's Hot 100 since The Beatles in 1964. His business empire includes: a record label (G-Unit Records, a division of Interscope Records), apparel/footwear ventures (G-Unit Clothing and footwear, joint ventures through the Ecko Clothing Company and Reebok, respectively), vitamin water (Formula 50, through Glacéau's Vitamin Water), watch line (G-Unit Watches, through Jacob & Co), and a video game (50 Cent: Bulletproof, through Vivendi Games). His future plans are to dominate the film and television worlds through two new G-Unit ventures in film and television...and his most prized project: the nonprofit organization The G-Unity Foundation, which aims to better the life of urban youth. Go to Target Market News homepage	12th Annual Edition Available Latest 'Buying Power' report shows black consumers spending more on home life As the American economy continues to move sluggishly, African-American households are curtailing their spending in many categories, including food, clothing and basic household items, while investing more in home repair, home entertainment and consumer electronics. Although they are trimming back, black consumers are still spending more than their white counterparts on most of these products. According to the newest edition of “The Buying Power of Black America” report, African-American households are tightening their belts when it comes to dining out, expanding their wardrobes, and leisure activities out of the home. At the same time, they are increasing their spending on home repairs and remodeling, audio and... Story and statistics continued SUBSCRIBE TODAY! 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