This just in: Stephen Colbert, host of The Colbert Report on Comedy Central, is going to be dropping the "t" for a new book, due in September 2007 from Warner Books:

WARNER BOOKS TO PUBLISH BOOK BY STEPHEN COLBERT OF "THE COLBERT REPORT" ON COMEDY CENTRAL

New York, NY - March 21, 2006 -- Warner Books announced today the acquisition of Stephen Colbert's first solo venture into the literary world. The currently untitled book is scheduled for publication in hardcover in September 2007.

"This book will have the same noble goal as my television show: to change the world one factual error at a time," said Colbert. The book was acquired by Warner Books in a pre-emptive deal brokered by James Dixon of Dixon Talent, Inc. together with Dan Strone of Trident Media Group.

Warner Books published Jon Stewart's NYT Bestseller, America (The Book), in 2004. No word on what Warner is paying Colbert, or what — beyond "truthiness" — the book will be about.

UPDATE: Variety repores, er, reports that the deal is worth "seven-figures" and that unlike America, Colbert will not be tapping his show's writing team for contributions.

Continue on for the full release.

WARNER BOOKS TO PUBLISH BOOK BY STEPHEN COLBERT
OF "THE COLBERT REPORT" ON COMEDY CENTRAL

New York, NY - March 21, 2006 -- Warner Books announced today the acquisition of Stephen Colbert's first solo venture into the literary world. The currently untitled book is scheduled for publication in hardcover in September 2007.

Colbert is the host and executive producer of the hit late night series on Comedy Central, "The Colbert Report." Touted by the New York Times as "one of the best television shows of the year" and praised as "a must watch show" by Entertainment Weekly, "The Colbert Report" has already garnered ratings and critical success as one of the top new entries on the television landscape. Stephen's personality, insight and overall rightness led to his half-hour nightly platform which takes on issues of the day, and more importantly, tells you why everyone else's take is just plain wrong. Colbert's innovative perspective drew such popularity that it led the American Dialect Society to name "truthiness," a phrase Colbert coined, the Word of the Year for 2005!

Since 1997, Stephen was the longest-tenured and most diverse correspondent on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." He helped the show to win numerous Emmy and Peabody Awards as an on-air personality and show writer for the news satire. He contributed to AMERICA (THE BOOK): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction (Warner Books) which immediately topped The New York Times Bestseller List for 15 consecutive weeks. He also co-authored the critically acclaimed book "Wigfield" (Hyperion) which Publisher's Weekly called "uproariously funny, painfully sharp and unlike anything the genre of humorous fiction has seen before." Colbert will bring the same sarcastic charm and intelligence to this book.

In making the announcement, acquiring Editor Jamie Raab, Senior Vice President and Publisher of Warner Books said, "Warner's association with Stephen Colbert began with AMERICA (The Book), which was, of course, an incredibly successful and enjoyable publishing event for everyone involved. After watching Stephen on "The Colbert Report," we were sure that there was a book in his future, and now that one is planned, we are thrilled that we will be publishing it."

"This book will have the same noble goal as my television show: to change the world one factual error at a time," said Colbert. The book was acquired by Warner Books in a pre-emptive deal brokered by James Dixon of Dixon Talent, Inc. together with Dan Strone of Trident Media Group.

"The Colbert Report" can be seen every Monday through Thursday at 11:30pm on Comedy Central.

Warner Books is a division of the Time Warner Book Group, which is a unit of Time, Inc.

As of March 31, 2006, Warner Books will be a division of the Hachette Book Group USA.

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