Her memoir is already hitting the bestsellers list.
Britney Spears is undoubtedly one of the most successful artists of all time — on top of eight Grammy nominations and one win, she sold more than 100 million records worldwide. And soon she’ll add “published author” to her long list of accomplishments.
Over the summer, the Princess of Pop revealed that her debut memoir, The Woman in Me, will be released on Oct. 24 by Gallery Books, a division of Simon & Schuster. “It’s coming… My story, on my terms, at last,” she announced in a post shared on both Instagram and Twitter.
Then, less than 24 hours later after the big announcement, her book skyrocketed to the top of Amazon’s best-seller list for new releases, as fans rushed to pre-order it. As we anxiously await her tell-all book’s release, here’s what we know about it so far.
How much money is Britney Spears making for her “record-breaking” book deal?
Spears first landed her massive deal with Simon & Schuster in February 2022 following an intense bidding war between publishers. Though there aren’t many public details of her agreement, it’s believed to be worth as much as $15 million.
At the time, an unnamed source told Variety that the book would “provide Spears’ accounts of and commentary on her rise to fame, her music career, and her relationship with her family.” Though she’s been active on social media and engaged with her fans, the singer hasn’t shared her full story after being released from her 13-year conservatorship in November 2021.
But her upcoming memoir is expected to shed some light on her harrowing experience: Referencing a landmark June 2021 court hearing where Spears asked a Los Angeles superior court judge to end her conservatorship, Jennifer Bergstrom, senior VP of publisher Gallery Books, said, “Britney’s compelling testimony in open court shook the world, changed laws, and showed her inspiring strength and bravery.”
Spears herself has acknowledged how difficult it was to put her experiences on paper. “I worked my a** off with this book,” Spears said in a video on TikTok. “I’ve had a lot of therapy to get this book done.”
Why Britney Spears decided to write a memoir
Spears has been contemplating opening up about her guardianship and alleged abuse for some time now. In a 22-minute audio message she shared last year, the pop star said she had several high-profile interview offers to talk about it, including from Oprah. But ultimately, she decided it was best to tell the story in her own words: “I’m here to open myself to others and shed a light on it.”
Spears has been pretty candid about her life during her conservatorship, calling it a “demoralizing” experience. “You also have to understand, it was like 15 years of touring and doing shows. And I’m 30 years old, living under my dad’s rules. And while all of this is going on, my mom’s witnessing this, my brother, my friends — they all go along with it,” she said in the same audio message.
During her June 2021 testimony, Spears also shared several shocking revelations about her treatment, alleging that she had been drugged and forced to perform on stage against her will. “I’m not here to be anyone’s slave,” she said while appearing in Los Angeles court remotely. “I’ve lied and told the whole world I’m OK and I’m happy. It’s a lie.”
Since being released from her conservatorship, the singer has stayed busy — on top of writing a book, she also released new music for the first time in six years. In August 2022, she collaborated with Elton John on “Hold Me Closer,” a reimagined duet of his classic “Tiny Dancer.”
“It’s pretty damn cool that I’m singing with one of the most classic men of our time,” she mused following the song’s release. Both the Daily Mail and The Sun have reported that Spears is currently working on a new album, but that remains very much up in the air, so stay tuned.
What she’s revealing in The Woman in Me, including her abortion while dating Justin Timberlake
According to an exclusive preview in PEOPLE from her highly anticipated memoir, The Woman in Me, Spears had an abortion during her relationship with fellow pop star Justin Timberlake. The two former Mousketeers dated in their late teens and early twenties. If you can believe it, this abortion revelation is just one of many bombshells dropped in a relatively short excerpt of her book — which is only ramping up the collective anticipation for the memoir release later this fall. She also discusses drinking with her mom as a preteen and almost starring in The Notebook.
