Sales of Deen’s Cookbooks Soar After Firing

NEW YORK—Another celebrity has once again confirmed the adage that any type of publicity is good publicity, even if it casts the person in question as a racist.

Southern belle cookbook author and celebrity chef Paula Deen, recently ousted for admitting in a court deposition to using a racial slur and summarily fired by the Food Network, saw sales of two cookbook titles explode in a 24-hour period last Tuesday.

Pre-orders of “Paula Deen’s New Testament: 250 Favorite Recipes, All Lightened Up,” slated for an October release, surged 1,300 percent on Amazon, according to CNNMoney. Another title, “Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible,” bounced 114 percent to reach the 350 ranking on Amazon sales.

Scripps Networks Interactive's Food Network announced June 21 that it would not renew Deen’s contract, which expires at the end of this month, after it was discovered that she had admitted in a May court deposition to using the “N” word. Smithfield Foods and several other Deen sponsors have severed ties with the chef.

Deen’s 14 cookbooks have sold millions of copies.