2/28/07

New York, New York—William Shinker, President and Publisher of Gotham Books (Penguin Group, USA), announced today that his imprint will publish a book by The Godfather of Hip Hop, Russell Simmons, written with Chris Morrow. The book, titled DO YOU! 12 Laws to Access the Power in You to Achieve Happiness and Success, will be published on April 24, 2007. World volume rights were acquired from Jillian Manus, of Manus Literary Agency. The book has been edited by Gotham Executive Editor Lauren Marino.

"Russell Simmons has had an incredible career that has made him a role model for everyone. He is still making giant strides in the world." said William Shinker in making the announcement. "He has achieved the new American Dream and his book shows how anyone who really wants to achieve can do so, no matter what their background. I look forward to working with him and his team to make this the self-help book everyone from the streets to Wall Street must read." To promote the book, Simmons will be doing 16 major events as well as national and local media out of the following markets: New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Atlanta, Birmingham, Durham, Los Angeles, Oakland, Seattle, Miami, Houston and St. Louis.

Named one of "America's 25 Most Fascinating Entrepreneurs," by Inc Magazine and often featured on the covers of major magazines from Business Week and Fast Company to Rolling Stone and Spin, Simmons will share his maverick strategies and personal sources of empowerment in DO YOU!. These are the laws that helped Simmons build Rush Communications, a half-billion dollar music and fashion empire that arose from his Hip Hop record label Def Jam and launched a cultural revolution in the process.

Explains Russell Simmons, "I really do believe that we all possess happiness and success in our hearts, and we know these laws instinctively. Yet often so many layers of negativity build up around us that we have a hard time remembering what we are capable of. These laws are shortcuts designed to help you peel back those layers so that you can return to your higher self. We all know there is tremendous power inside us; this book is simply a tool to help you remember how to access it."

The book's title takes its name from one of the twelve proven rules that ensure financial growth, political empowerment, physical well being and most importantly spiritual contentment. These laws have fueled Simmons' unprecedented success in life, and their universality insures that they can be applied to the pursuit of success in any culture or industry. DO YOU! explains how to achieve your goals without compromising your true self.

About Russell Simmons:

"The CEO of Hip-Hop" —Business Week

"Russell Simmons, the original Hip-Hop mogul, is one of the most innovative and influential figures in modern American business and culture." —The New York Times

"Russell Simmons is the Godfather. Def Jam was the model that birthed Bad Boy, No Limit, Roc A Fella and all these other labels. And then later, Phat Farm birthed Sean Jean, Roc A Wear, Marc Ecko and all these other clothing companies. Russell is the architect of what we do." —Jay-Z
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Russell Simmons has been instrumental in bringing hip-hop to every facet of business and media since its inception in the late 1970s: in music with the co-founding of the immensely successful original Def Jam Recordings; in the fashion industry with the trail-blazing Phat Farm, Baby Phat, Run Athletics, and Def Jam University clothing lines; in film with Simmons Lathan Media Group; in television with HBO's "The Def Comedy Jam" and "Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry"; on Broadway with the Tony Award winning stage production "Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam on Broadway"; in the financial services industry with UniRush and its RushCard and Baby Phat RushCard; in fine jewelry with The Simmons Jewelry Co; in video gaming, mobile communications and other industries utilizing the internationally recognized Def Jam brand through Def Jam Enterprises; and in the community with Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network. Marking his active return to the recording industry, in 2005 the Russell Simmons Music Group (RSMG) was formed as a 50/50 joint label with the Island Def Jam Music Group. Russell is a sought-after public speaker and regularly addresses audiences ranging from public school children and university students to corporate executives and community leaders.

Russell, 48, is a native New Yorker who attended City College of New York. His interests extend far beyond the business world, and he spends a great deal of his time and considerable energy working for social, political, and philanthropic causes, pushing hip-hop on to new plateaus of power and relevance. Along with his brothers Danny Simmons and Joseph "Rev. run" Simmons, he founded Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation in 1995. The organization is dedicated to providing disadvantaged urban youth with significant exposure and access to the arts, as well as offering exhibition opportunities to underrepresented artists and artists of color. Following the historic Hip-Hop Summit he organized in June 2001, Russell founded the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN) to harness the cultural relevance of hip-hop music as a catalyst for education advocacy and other societal concerns fundamental to the well being of at-risk youth throughout the US.

Russell and his ventures are driven by a personal and corporate belief that hip-hop is an enormously influential agent for social change, which must be responsibly and proactively utilized to fight the war on poverty and ignorance.

Chris Morrow is the author of Stir It Up: Reggae Album Cover Art and has written about hip-hop and politics for numerous publications, including The Source and The New York Daily News. A resident of Brooklyn, New York, he has been working as a speechwriter for Russell Simmons since 2003.

About Gotham Books:
Gotham Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), was launched in 2003 by industry veteran William Shinker. Bestsellers that have helped to establish its solid foundation are Game of Shadows, The Official eBay™ Bible, The Lucky Shopping Manual, The Tao of Willie, Letters to a Young Brother, The Miracle of St. Anthony, What Would Jackie Do, The Tao of Willie, It's Called Work for a Reason, Every Shot Must Have a Purpose, Talk to the Hand, and. Eats, Shoots&Leaves (Gotham Books' first #1 New York Times bestseller which has over 1.5 million copies in print.) Penguin Group (USA) Inc. is one of the leading U.S. adult and children's trade book publishers, owning a wide range of imprints and trademarks, including Berkley Books, Dutton, Frederick Warne, G.P. Putnam's Sons, Gotham Books, Grosset&Dunlap, New American Library, Penguin, Penguin Press, Philomel, Riverhead Books, and Viking, among others. Penguin Group is owned by Pearson plc, the international media group.

2/28/07

DO YOU!
12 LAWS TO ACCESS THE POWER IN YOU TO ACHIEVE HAPPINESS AND SUCCESS
By Russell Simmons


TOUR MARKETS AND VENUES

New York, NY
4/24/07 Borders on Wall Street
4/24/07 Barnes and Noble (Clifton, NJ)
4/35/07 Hu-Man Bookstore

Chicago, IL
4/26/07 Borders on Michigan Ave
4/27/07 African American Images Bookstore

Philadelphia, PA
4/28/07 Barnes and Noble at U Penn

Washington, DC
4/30/07 Borders (Largo, MD)
Atlanta, GA
5/1/07 Emory University
Birmingham, AL
5/2/07 Books-A-Million (Wildwood Parkway)

Durham, NC
5/4/07 Barnes and Noble
Los Angeles, CA
5/21/07 Off-site with Eso Wan Booksellers

Oakland, CA
5/22/07 Off-site with Marcus Books
Seattle, WA
5/23/07 Off-site with Elliot Bay Booksellers

Coral Gables, FL
6/11/07 Off-site with Books and Books

Houston, TX
6/12/07 Barnes and Noble

St. Louis, MO
6/13/07 Off-site with Left Bank Books