Yorkshire student and celebrity chef Sam Stern has made money by creating a brand out of himself. He wrote his first book, Get Cooking, an international best seller, at just 14 and so far the teenage chef estimates that with around 600,000 sold in 16 countries it has made him a profit of £30,000. His most recent, Sam Stern's Eat Vegetarian (which followed Cooking Up a Storm; Real Food, Real Fast and Sam Stern's Student Cookbook) was written when he was 19. The politics and sociology student at Edinburgh University is also a regular television guest and writes a monthly newspaper column. Sam says:
"My passion has turned into a little enterprise, but it never started that way. It's never been about the money but it does drive me to do a bit more work every now and then, as everything can help to increase sales.
"With the first book, you don't get as much money as advance because you're an unknown. I got over five times the amount for the last one as I did for the first.
"I have always been quite sensible with my earnings. I have put it on the stock market and bought some land behind my parent's house in the country - it's nice to know your money is being put to good use. Occasionally I get myself a treat, but I don't flash it around. I try to stick to a student budget. I did buy a flat-screen TV and pay for nice meals now and again.
