Of all the Friends cast, it's unlikely that anyone expected Matthew Perry to become one of the most troubled yet relatable stars. Years after his time in the sitcom spotlight, Matthew shared his personal struggles and found a new spotlight. With support from fans who appreciate him being raw and real, Matthew found new success with the release of his memoir.
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir came out in 2022 and fans of Friends were thrilled. The memoir laid Matthew's life bare, shocking many of his celebrity friends, and has continued to top the charts since it was first published. The question that fans may have is how much Matthew was paid for the book, given how personal and in-your-face it turned out to be. The good news is he received a pretty paycheck for his time and effort.
Matthew Perry's Memoir Was Poorly Received Due To A Keanu Reeves Diss
Most Friends fans were enthusiastic about reading Matthew Perry's memoir at first. He's had a long road to recovery while working in Hollywood, and he's just as beloved as ever thanks to his sitcom career.
The memoir promised to give insight into Matthew's struggles, his time on Friends, and the ups and downs he experienced. Overall, it delivered on those promises, according to reviews (both critic and reader).
Once the book came out, though, people were shocked to read that Matthew took a jab at Keanu Reeves, essentially calling him a bad actor. Perry later attempted to backtrack, but the damage seemed to have been done.
Recognizing his mistake, the actor announced he would edit the book to remove the diss against Keanu, elaborating that he is a "big fan" of Reeves. He also admitted it was a mean thing to write, and that he would apologize to Keanu in person if they ever crossed paths.
It could be that the controversy actually helped sell more of Matthew's books, as bad publicity typically tends to do, but it might not matter much how many copies he sells in terms of what the star walks away with cash-wise.
How Much Will Matthew Perry Make From His Book?
Matthew Perry's book deal is reportedly worth millions, and there are a few reasons for that. He's the first of the Friends cast (and perhaps will be the only) to publish a memoir, and he's the first to admit to personal struggles behind the scenes.
At this point, it seems that Matthew was the only actor on the show to deal with substance abuse at the height of his fame, which made his story not only a juicy one but also a tale of redemption as he's reportedly clean now.
He's been open about not being able to watch Friends reruns, but there was so much more to Perry's story—and one book publishing company seemed to know that.
While Flatiron Books may not ring any bells for avid readers, the publishing house seems to have approached Matthew with the memoir pitch, rather than the other way around.
The deal seems to have been offered to Perry up-front, at a value of seven figures; multiple sources call the deal a "mid-seven figure range" one.
That sounds as if it might be around $5 million, but it's also unclear whether the deal is a flat-rate option or if Perry could earn more with higher sales. The deal could function the way that Friends did, giving long-term royalties to the actor long after publication.
Friends, Lovers, And The Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir Has Thousands Of Five-Star Reviews
Despite the controversy related to Matthew's comments about Keanu Reeves, his book seems to have been selling at lightning speed. The book generated nearly 20,000 reviews (most of them five stars) on Amazon, not to mention other booksellers, after its release in November 2022.
The book is touted to be an "instant #1 New York Times bestseller" and has glowing reviews from The New York Times, Time, Goodreads, USA Today, and more.
The book topped various bestseller lists, too, ranking alongside Bono's Surrender. Yet Perry's Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thingsold almost 96,000 copies to Surrender's 45,000—both of those figures achieved in a single week, per Publishers Weekly.
It's unclear exactly how many copies have been sold since then, but a clip of nearly 100K books per week is nothing to scoff at.
Given that the publishing company, Flatiron Books, lists the memoir for anywhere from $25 to $29.99 (paperback versus hard cover), they likely made their money back in terms of what Matthew Perry has been paid to date.
At the very least, the book sales seem to have helped Perry afford splurges like a $6 million mansion in Los Angeles, though it's worth noting that he did "downsize" from a $13M mansion.
With so few details available about the deal, however, it's possible that Matthew benefits from the higher sales, or that he may write another book to cash in on the success of his first.
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