Tyra Banks promotes her new book "Modelland" at Barnes & Noble at Union Square on September 21, 2011 in New York City

The novel follows the adventures of Tookie De La Créme, a young girl who is invited to attend an elite modeling school called Modelland. Tyra, widely regarded as role-model, was driven to write the novel as a means to empower young girls. It's an "audience that I personally am passionate about," Tyra said. "I feel like young girls in particular are going through that transition into adulthood and there's a lot of self-doubt, there's a lot of insecurity, there's a lot of self-acceptance issues when they look in the mirror at their reflection and they don't necessarily feel good enough or that they measure up."