There's probably no woman in America who is as famous--or controversial--as Martha Stewart. In Martha Inc. Christopher Byron gets past the public persona to tell how "the quiet little girl from the house on Elm Place" became the "richest self-made businesswoman in America." While Byron acknowledges that Stewart has a good side, there's not much evidence of it here; much of the book focuses on the darker aspects of Stewart's private life that were first popularized in Jerry Oppenheimer's mean-spirited Just Desserts. Unlike Oppenheimer's account, however, Byron keeps the mudslinging in check by also chronicling her amazing business success as "one of the most potent and effective brands in the history of American marketing." He details her relationships with Kmart, Group W, and Time-Warner, noting that her maneuvering to buy her company back from Time-Warner was "easily the greatest financial coup in the history of American publishing." The result is an interesting and often scandalous story of a woman who proves to be far more complicated than the image her media empire projects. --Harry C. Edwards


Review
The queen of home entertaining, and much else domestic, is writing her autobiography for Clarkson Potter, the Crown imprint that has publisher her throughout her successful career. Meanwhile, a journalist who once intended to collaborate with Stewart on her personal book is doing a study of his own. Martha's book, signed with the author by Crown president Chip Gibson and Potter editorial director Lauren Shakely, will be, said Stewart, a study-"bumps in the road," imperfections and all-of her progress to the chairmanship of her own prosperous multimedia company and her position as the doyenne of home how-to. It will be, she added, "the ultimate recipe book for success." Crown bought world rights to the tale, tentatively titled Martha: Really and Truly, and plans to publish in 2003. Beating her own book into the stores by some distance, however, will be one by New York Observer and Bloomberg financial commentator Christopher Byron, whose Martha Inc. promises an investigative look at the lady and her company. It's being written for John Wiley, where senior editor Pamela Van Giessen signed it from agent Joni Evans at William Morris, and it will be published, they say, as soon as next April. Byron, who has been a not-unsympathetic observer of Stewart and her Omnimedia company, said he originally had planned to do the book with her, but that she had backed out when she apparently became "uncomfortable" with some of the questions his researcher was asking. Byron added that she decided to do her own book only after it became clear that he would go ahead without her. Crown responded that Steward had always planned to do her own memoir. (Publishers Weekly, June 25, 2001) "Martha Stewart is a success story you either love or hate--but until now you've only heard her side of it. In "Martha Inc.", author Christopher Byron chronicles the whole story..." (New York Post, April 8, 2002) "Mr. Byron will not disappoint those who crave even more evidence of [Martha's] excess." (New York Times Business section, April 14, 2002). "...it's clear [Byron] is a fan of Stewart's business acumen...[the book is] a riveting twist on an old story." (USA Today's, April 15, 2002) "makes for a fascinating...read...a meaty account" (BusinessWeek, April 22, 2002) Though gleefully heralded in the press as a hatchet job, this biography of Martha Stewart turns out to be surprisingly evenhanded. The author's mixture of distaste and respect for his subject is informed by his own contact with her: nodding acquaintances for years, they briefly were friends after Byron wrote an admiring article. But when his questions headed in uncomfortable directions Stewart's enthusiasm for the book turned to hostility. Byron, a business columnist for the Post, is most persuasive when he describes her professional maneuverings-particularly her genius for using any partnership to her advantage, from her marriage to her Kmart deal. Byron sifts the now familiar elements of Stewart's personal life-impoverished upbringing, bullying dad, cohorts of betrayed friends-and arrives at the plausible if predictable conclusion that character problems like ruthless egotism are at the root of her business success. Given that her net worth is $650 million, we should all have these problems. (The New Yorker, April 22 & 29, 2002) "Studying the two faces of Martha makes for a good, if opinionated, read." (The Economist, April 20, 2002) "...many intriguing questions [are] posed in Byron's hot new business book/biography, which is among the most talked-about and successful books of the spring." (Connecticut Post, April 21, 2002) "...more than perfunctory kudos go to Christopher Byron for assembling so much information about his subject, and a few more pats on the back for presenting it in so readable a form." (Wall Street Journal, April 23, 2002) At a 1995 dinner for Princess Diana, an unfortunate soul mistook Martha Stewart for someone else. "If you don't know who I am, then you don't deserve to be at this table!" she responded. Modern conversation owes much to the bizarre behavior and outrageous rhymes-with-witch-icisms of Martha Stewart. And the new Martha Inc. by Christopher Byron is full of both-plus plenty on Stewart's astounding business acumen. The New York Post business columnist cites countless classic Martha Moments, such as how she maneuvered Kmart into paying for her new home and its restoration. And how, on the eve of her $121 million IPO, she snubbed magazine editor Tina Brown, answering a "How are you?" with a curt "I'm rich." Sadly, the book's index makes no mention of Stewart's 15 pet chinchillas. Perhaps in Martha: Really and Truly, the autobiography she plans to write. —Holly J. Morris (U.S. News & World Report, April 22, 2002) [MARTHA INC. is] "a can't-put-down read" (Detroit News, April 27, 2002) "Byron connects the dots between Martha the private person and Martha the brand, ending up with a book that is as much in the celebrity gossip genre as it is a business biography.... More fascinating is what lies behind the curtains that Byron pulls back..." (The Strait Times (Singapore), April 28, 2002) "...takes readers on a fascinating journey into the making of the domestic demigoddess.... Byron writes with a lively and informative hand. He zeroes in with facts..." (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 1, 2002) "Byron has written a balanced book that highlights both [Martha's] strengths and her abundance of warts. That makes Byron's book credible..." (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, May 3, 2002) There's enough dish to feed Martha Stewart lovers and loathers alike in this scrupulously reported bio. The author says he spoke to more than 100 people, but most of the revelations feel unsurprising.Byron paints Stewart as a remote mother to her daughter and a cold wife who berated her husband until he walked out on her 25 years later. (She once called him "f------ stupid" in front of guests when he failed to stack firewood to her liking, a friend of the pair's said.) And (gasp!) power has made her no sweeter. Walking through the corridors of her corporate offices one day, she stopped to watch her dog poop on the carpet, telling an assistant, "I just wish I could get my employees to do that when I say."The book goes on too long though, and Byron, a New York Post business columnist, wastes ink endlessly reworking his idea that Stewart is a sour apple who didn't fall too far from the tree: Her dad emerges as a nasty bully. Byron does nail Martha's undisputed genius for exploiting women's domestic fantasies, and the stories of how she wiped the floor with some of America's top male execs at Kmart and Time Warner go down like a delicious dessert. (People Magazine, May 13, 2002) "...a dishy book...a few more pats on the back for presenting it in so readable a form." (Wall Street Journal (Europe), 24 April 2002) "The most fascinating parts of "Martha Inc." focus on Martha's dealings with Kmart and Time Warner. These sections showcase Byron's understanding of the business world. His ability to analyze the needs and wants of major corporations and Martha's demands make good reading." (The Capital Times, May 17, 2002) Who would not envy Martha Stewart? The 60-year-old lifestyle doyenne has sold more than 10 million books, publishes a monthly magazine with a circulation of more than 2 million, is the host of a six-day-a-week television show and, as a result of the initial public offering of her company in 1999, the aptly named Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, is a multimillion-dollar concern. Christopher M. Byron, a business reporter who is also Stewart's neighbor in Westport, Conn., as well as a former friend (they got to know each other after Byron published a column calling her forthcoming stock offering "the deal of all time"), attempts to present a picture of "the richest self-made businesswoman in America." "Martha Inc." is balanced, and Byron's financial analysis of the company is sophisticated. Nonetheless, his argument that Stewart's success is driven by anger at her cruel father and resentment of her working-class up-bringing seems simplistic. Occasionally Byron describes Stewart as "two different people" --there is successful Martha, and the "Other Martha," who is bitter and vengeful off camera. One wishes Byron had constructed a more nuanced portrait of this woman who, like most moguls, is a great but flawed character. As Byron himself wrote in a column on Stewart, "The lady deserves better." (New York Times Book Review, Sunday June 9, 2002) "...viciously entertaining biography..." (Barron's, 1 July 2002) Here's a business book that's right at home on the beach. It's got juicy anecdotes: After one of her dogs defecates on the carpet in her corporate offices, Martha quips, "I just wish I could get my employees to do that when I say." And some pop psychology: In the "relationship script" she learned from her domineering father, Byron writes, "the authority figure maintains control by yelling the loudest and oppressing the most harshly while insisting on undifferentiated love and blind obedience."All this is fun--and even relevant, since what Martha so brilliantly sells is herself. But the most interesting part of this book is its account of how she transformed her association with K Mart from a tool to promote the discounter into a tool to promote Martha--both as a brand and as a financial juggernaut. According to Byron, when Martha bought out Time Warner's majority stake in her company, $ 16 million of the $ 18 million cash portion of the price came directly from K Mart. Her out-of-pocket cost: $ 2 million. The value of her stock the day the company went public: $ 1.27 billion. Now that's crafty. --DENISE MARTIN (MONEY Magazine, August, 2002) Speaking of scandals, does Martha Stewart know how to keep her name before the public or what? For a scathing portrait of the domestic diva, check out Martha Inc.: The Incredible Story of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (Wiley) by journalist Christopher Byron. The book was published before Stewart's insider-trading scandal erupted, and therefore can't provide the details that many readers crave. Nonetheless, it colorfully chronicles Stewart's life and rapid ascent following the publication of her book Entertaining in 1982. Although Byron clearly admires Stewart's ability to turn herself into a multimillion-dollar brand, he revels in unflattering anecdotes from such sources as her former catering partner, ex-colleagues from Kmart Corp., and the tour guides, neighbors, and journalists she has alienated. It's not exactly a balanced effort since those who might feel more positively about Stewart, such as business partner Sharon Patrick - not to mention Stewart herself - did not grant interviews to the author. Byron's best moments come when he examines the business, underscoring the difficulty of maintaining any operation built around one human being. "It makes for a fascinating, if clearly lopsided, read," said reviewer Diane Brady. (BusinessWeek, December 9, 2002)


Review
"Martha Stewart is a success story you either love or hate--but until now you've only heard her side of it. In "Martha Inc.", author Christopher Byron chronicles the whole story..." (New York Post, April 8, 2002) "Mr. Byron will not disappoint those who crave even more evidence of [Martha's] excess." (New York Times Business section, April 14, 2002). "...it's clear [Byron] is a fan of Stewart's business acumen...[the book is] a riveting twist on an old story." (USA Today's, April 15, 2002) "makes for a fascinating...read...a meaty account" (BusinessWeek, April 22, 2002) "Though gleefully heralded in the press as a hatchet job, this biography of Martha Stewart turns out to be surprisingly evenhanded." (The New Yorker, April 22 & 29, 2002) "Studying the two faces of Martha makes for a good, if opinionated, read." (The Economist, April 20, 2002) "...many intriguing questions [are] posed in Byron's hot new business book/biography, which is among the most talked-about and successful books of the spring." (Connecticut Post, April 21, 2002) "...more than perfunctory kudos go to Christopher Byron for assembling so much information about his subject, and a few more pats on the back for presenting it in so readable a form." (Wall Street Journal, April 23, 2002) [MARTHA INC. is] "a can't-put-down read" (Detroit News, April 27, 2002) "More fascinating is what lies behind the curtains that Byron pulls back..." (The Strait Times (Singapore), April 28, 2002) "...takes readers on a fascinating journey into the making of the domestic demigoddess.... Byron writes with a lively and informative hand. He zeroes in with facts..." (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 1, 2002) "Byron has written a balanced book that highlights both [Martha's] strengths and her abundance of warts. That makes Byron's book credible..." (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, May 3, 2002) "...a dishy book...a few more pats on the back for presenting it in so readable a form." (Wall Street Journal (Europe), 24 April 2002) "Martha Inc. is balanced, and Byron's financial analysis of the company is sophisticated."(New York Times Book Review, Sunday June 9, 2002) Here's a business book that's right at home on the beach. (MONEY Magazine, August, 2002)


USA Today's, April 15, 2002
"...it's clear [Byron] is a fan of Stewart's business acumen...[the book is] a riveting twist on an old story."


BusinessWeek, April 22, 2002
"makes for a fascinating...read...a meaty account"


The New Yorker, April 22 & 29, 2002
"Though gleefully heralded in the press as a hatchet job, this biography of Martha Stewart turns out to be surprisingly evenhanded."


The Economist, April 20, 2002
"Studying the two faces of Martha makes for a good, if opinionated, read."


Connecticut Post, April 21, 2002
"...many intriguing questions [are] posed in Byron's hot new business book/biography, which is among the most talked-about and successful books of the spring."


Wall Street Journal, April 23, 2002
"...more than perfunctory kudos go to Christopher Byron for assembling so much information about his subject, and a few more pats on the back for presenting it in so readable a form."


Detroit News, April 27, 2002
[MARTHA INC. is] "a can't-put-down read"


The Strait Times (Singapore), April 28, 2002
"More fascinating is what lies behind the curtains that Byron pulls back..."


Book Description
Martha Stewart has generated an enormous following by establishing herself as the leading authority for all things domestic and in the process created a multimillion-dollar enterprise and a personal net worth of nearly $2 billion. As one of the most successful self-made female business owners in American history, Martha Stewart is a topic of interest for fans, business professionals and would-be entrepreneurs alike.
Martha Inc. tells the compelling story of how this complex woman created an empire on domesticity and examines her business inside and out. Through an engaging narrative by popular columnist Christopher Byron, this book chronicles how the business was built, what it took to take it public, and the personal and professional transformation Martha has undergone to make it all work. To get a true portrait of the woman whose work ethic is her personal life, Byron delves into the underreported facets of Martha's past, such as the effects her challenging childhood and years on Wall Street have had on her uncompromising business acumen. From Martha Stewart Living magazine and marthastewart.com to a K-Mart line of houseware products, a line of house paints, and a television show, this book details how a former caterer from Connecticut has created a media and merchandising empire, pulling off what large media corporations with vast resources struggle to accomplish.
Martha Stewart has sold America on good taste and now readers can learn exactly how she did it and what drives her to keep conquering new vistas. A corporate biography as well as a success story worthy of Horatio Alger, Martha Inc. also delves into how a cult of personality is created and how Martha Stewart capitalized on the zeitgeist that characterized the last half of the twentieth century. This book is a must read for anyone who has been touched by Martha's marketing savvy or who dreams of making it big.


Book Info
The inside story of Martha Stewart's most horrible year, with headlines of possible insider trading and obstruction of justice, accompanied by the roller-coaster plunge in her company's stock, and the deepening uncertainties regarding the future of her relationship with Kmart. Softcover.


From the Inside Flap
From housewife to billionaire CEO, Martha Stewart is not just the businesswoman with the Midas touch, she is also a lightning rod for many of the most important and controversial social and economic issues of post-WWII American life.

In the unauthorized Martha Inc.: The Incredible Story of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, business writer and columnist Christopher Byron traces Martha’s journey from the troubled world of a working class family in New Jersey to the pinnacle of fame and power as the head of the billion dollar business bearing her name. In Martha Inc., Byron shows that the great irony in Martha’s triumph is that she has grown to global fame by celebrating a domestic life she never actually knew. Out of an imagined bliss, Martha created a media and merchandising empire devoted to the celebration of home, food, and family.

Martha Stewart's story is part Horatio Alger success story and part "Citizen Kane" drama, reaching from the modest homes of Nutley, New Jersey, to the palatial estates of Long Island, from the suburban kitchens of Connecticut to the boardrooms of Wall Street. At each step of the way, Byron gets inside Martha’s world, from her troubled working class upbringing to her years of peddling speculative stocks on Wall Street in the go-go 60s. Thereafter, Byron follows Martha through the ordeal of her failing marriage to the launch of her magazine. Finally, we accompany Martha in her triumphant and climactic return to Wall Street at century’s end to sell stock in her company in an IPO that would make her a billionaire. Byron attends, through fly-on-the-wall sources, executive meetings with some of the most powerful individuals in American business to watch as they try to deal with a woman who emerged from nowhere to overpower them all. He eavesdrops as they bad-mouth her as she leaves the room, often with a fabulous deal in her hand. He watches as they discover, only too late, this former housewife outsmarts them at their own game. Martha Inc. gets up-close-and-personal with the personality of Martha, one of the most complex and driven people in the history of business.

All this and more unfolds in the pages of Martha Inc.–a compelling three-dimensional view of the woman, her business, and her unique hold on domestic culture. Set against the backdrop of the vast changes that reshaped the role of women in post-WWII American life–the stages of which became rungs on a ladder Martha climbed to success–this is Martha's story, a saga filled with power, drama, conflict, and tragedy.


Back Cover Copy
Martha Inc. "In this spectacular book, Christopher Byron gets all the way to the heart of Martha Stewart." —David McClintick, author, Indecent Exposure The story of Martha Stewart is the story of an incredible woman who had the brains to recognize opportunities when they dropped in her lap and who had the drive, energy, and determination to turn them into unprecedented success by gathering around her, and often ruthlessly exploiting, the talents, and sometimes even the loyalty of many people. The less visible story is how, and ultimately why, all this happened–the hidden world of Martha Stewart and her dreams. That is our story –the story of a little girl who never got over what life never gave her and wound up inventing for herself a past she had never known–a hologram of life so powerful that it not only convinced her personally but mesmerized the world. In time, the quiet little girl from the house on Elm Place became the richest self-made businesswoman in America–by selling the world all her missing parts. This is the story of what was missing, why it was missing, and how she turned it into a billion dollars. —from the Prologue


About the Author
CHRISTOPHER BYRON has been writing about business and finance for over 30 years. His well-known "Back of the Envelope" column ran in The New York Observer for six years and now runs in The New York Post. He is also a contributing editor and financial columnist for MSNBC and Red Herring, and the host of a syndicated daily radio show, Wall Street Wakeup with Chris Byron. Byron worked as an editor and correspondent for Time, and as assistant managing editor of Forbes. He has written four books and his articles have appeared in Esquire, Playboy, New York, Worth, Men's Health, and Travel Holiday magazines, New York Daily News, and on Bloomberg News. Byron graduated from Yale College and the Columbia University School of Law. He is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and lives in Connecticut with his family.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Comedy shows satirize her domestic craftiness, but no one can belittle the business genius of Martha Stewart. This trend-setting entrepreneur is one of the most successful self-made business owners in our history, ringing up a net personal worth of nearly $2 billion. Veteran business journalist Christopher Byron explains how this former Connecticut caterer has created a multimedia merchandising empire that even Wall Street envies.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

From housewife to billionaire CEO, Martha Stewart is not just the businesswoman with the Midas touch, she is also a lightening rod for many of the most important and controversial social and economic issues of post-WWII American life.

In the unauthorized Martha Inc.: The Incredible Story of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, business writer and columnist Christopher Byron traces Martha's journey from the troubled world of a working class family in New Jersey to the pinnacle of fame and power as the head of the billion dollar business bearing her name. In Martha Inc., Byron shows that the great irony in Martha's triumph is that she has grown to global fame by celebrating a domestic life she never actually knew. Out of an imagined bliss, Martha created a media and merchandising empire devoted to the celebration of home, food, and family.

SYNOPSIS

Business and finance writer Byron traces Stewart's transformation from a working class New Jersey child to a housewife and to a billionaire CEO of a corporation with her name in it. Earlier photographs are family snapshots; later ones are publicity shots. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

FROM THE CRITICS

Economist

Studying the two faces of Martha makes for a good, if opinionated, read.

New York Times

Mr. Byron will not disappoint those who crave even more evidence of [Martha's] excess.

New Yorker

Though gleefully heralded in the press as a hatchet job, this biography of Martha Stewart turns out to be surprisingly evenhanded.

Wall Street Journal

...more than perfunctory kudos go to Christopher Byron for assembling so much information about his subject, and a few more pats on the back for presenting it in so readable a form.

USA Today

...it's clear [Byron] is a fan of Stewart's business acumen...[the book is] a riveting twist on an old story. Read all 13 "From The Critics" >

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