Tuesday, May 22, 2012

The author of a self-published diet book that advocates skipping breakfast and taking cold baths has agreed to lucrative deals with British and U.S. publishers.

Grand Central Publishing announced Tuesday it has acquired Venice A. Fulton's "Six Weeks to OMG," the object of a multi-day auction. Michael Joseph, an imprint of Penguin UK, won rights for the book in Britain, where "Six Weeks" has been a word-of-mouth hit.

Literary agent Richard Pine, who represented Fulton, said in a statement that the Grand Central deal was worth seven figures and that terms with Michael Joseph were "equally spectacular."

The book, coming out in July, is known for its tagline "Get skinnier than all your friends" and for such unorthodox advice as being careful about eating broccoli.