Branching out from the sports world to the literary world, New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter announced Thursday that he is forming his own book publishing line.
The Yankees captain is teaming with Simon & Schuster to create Jeter Publishing, which will handle a full range of titles from adult non-fiction to children’s picture books.
In a press release, Jeter said, “This publishing partnership with Simon & Schuster is an exciting way for me to discover and develop new books, sharing insights of my own or from people I believe have interesting stories, philosophies or practices to share.”
Jeter, 39, recently signed a one-year, $12 million contract to return to the Yankees in 2014, which will be his 20th year with the team. He told the New York Times regarding the publishing venture, “I think this sort of sets the blueprint for postcareer. This is a great way to start.”
Louise Burke, president of Gallery Books, the Simon & Schuster division that will team with Jeter on adult books, told the Times, “As he moves on into his career, he wanted to get involved in book publishing in a way that he could not just publish books by him or about him, but to curate books from other walks of life, like food, fashion and music. He really looks at this as a long-term project.”