Britney Spears book goes to Simon & Schuster in “one of the biggest non-fiction deals of all time.”
Britney Spears, Carson, California on May 11, 2013 – Photo by Glenn Francis of www.PacificProDigital.com (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Britney Spears is going to have quite the story to tell. After being under conservatorship for nearly fourteen years, meaning she had no control over her finances, her career, and when she could see her own children, Los Angeles judge Brenda Penny finally ruled in November 2021 that her suffering was offer.
The conservatorship was put in place in 2007 after Britney’s mental health declined following her divorce from Kevin Federline, resulting in the loss of custody of her two children. Since then, her father has been in charge of her finances and personal life, to an extreme extent according to Britney and The New York Times. This included refusal to allow her to remove her IUD birth control, refusal to remarry, forcing her to go on tour, necessitating medication, and even extending as far as dictating the colour of her kitchen cabinets.
Making a public statement against the conservatorship in June 2021, Britney told Judge Penny:
“I would honestly like to sue my family, to be totally honest with you. I also would like to be able to share my story with the world, and what they did to me, instead of it being a hush-hush secret to benefit all of them. I want to be able to be heard on what they did to me by making me keep this in for so long, it is not good for my heart. I’ve been so angry and I cry every day. It concerns me, I’m told I’m not allowed to expose the people who did this to me.”
Now Britney finally will get the chance to share her story. At forty years old, having finally gained back control over her own life, she has signed a deal worth an alleged $15 million with Simon & Schuster in the US. An unnamed source told Page Six that “the deal is one of the biggest of all time, behind the Obamas’: Barack and Michelle Obama signed a $65 million deal with Penguin Random House in 2017 to write multiple books.
Britney’s book announcement came shortly after she spoke out against her sister Jamie Lynn Spears’s book Things I Should Have Said which published in January 2022, only two months after the conservatorship was dissolved. Accusing her sister of lying and making money from her pain, Britney wrote a vitriolic Instagram post in January (which you can see on the Independent website) saying:
“National best seller???? DUH …. the timing of your book was unbelievable Jamie Lynn … especially knowing the whole world had no clue what was really done to me!!!! My whole family including you is saying YOU DIDN’T KNOW …. Bullshit!!!
“I wish the almighty, Lord would come down and show this whole world that you’re buying and making money off me!!! You are scum, Jamie Lynn.”
Britney’s lawyer, Matthew Rosengar, has already filed a cease and desist against Jamie Lynn’s book, the letter reading “Publicly airing false or fantastical grievances is wrong, especially when designed to sell books. It is also potentially unlawful and defamatory.”
Others that could face legal implications and will almost certainly come under fire in the book included her father Jamie Spears, mother Lynne Spears, and her former business manager Lou Taylor, who has been accused of bugging her bedroom and telephone.
These past few days I’ve been thinking about Britney and everything she is going through.
It is unacceptable that any woman, or human, wanting to be in control of their own destiny might not be allowed to live life as they wish. pic.twitter.com/NRhNwcJaD3
— Christina Aguilera (@xtina) June 29, 2021
Support for Britney in recent years has been strong, which lead to the creation of the #FreeBritney movement, with celebrities including Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, and Miley Cyrus speaking up for her. After Britney gave her public testimony last June, public outrage for her treatment grew as the facts became common knowledge. Britney’s story is a shocking one; one that she will claim back as her own in this new book after keeping quiet for years. As Britney herself has said:
“I didn’t want to say any of this to anybody, to the public, because I thought people would make fun of me or laugh at me and say, “She’s lying, she’s got everything, she’s Britney Spears.”
“I’m not lying. I just want my life back.”
Britney Spears book goes to Simon & Schuster in “one of the biggest non-fiction deals of all time.” was first posted on February 22, 2022 at 12:46 am.
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