Fans Are Worried That Britney Spears May Not Have Been In Control Of Her Book Because Of These 5 Clues
Fans are worried that Britney Spears doesn't have creative control over her memoir.
ktsimage, Hemera Technologies, PepitoPhotos | Canva, Tinseltown | Shutterstock Britney Spears has a new creative project coming into the world, in the form of a tell-all memoir titled “The Woman In Me.” The book is set to be released on October 24, 2023, and the pop icon’s recent presence on social media has revolved around promoting it.
On her TikTok account, Spears posted a video of the book cover being printed, tagging her publisher, Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.
Yet some fans are voicing concerns about Spears seemingly not having creative control over the book.
Here are 5 clues that have fans worried that Britney Spears isn’t in control of her memoir.
1. Fans aren’t sure if the promotional photos for Spears’ book release are from an actual photo shoot.
Actress and social media influencer Amanda Hirsch expressed her concern on TikTok, saying she’s been worried for a while about Spears’ book. Hirsch explained the trajectory of her doubt.
She voiced that she had a hard time believing there was any truth to the news of Spears putting out a book, back when it was first announced. That doubt compounded when she heard of the release date for the memoir, giving Hirsch an “I’ll believe it when I see it” kind of vibe.
The release date “is getting closer, it’s getting really close,” Hirsch noted, yet her worries about Spears’ level of involvement in the project are still very high. She commented that the photo on the cover of People Magazine’s Exclusive interview with Spears seemed recent, expressing her relief that “at least they’re not using an old photo.”
“But then, the photo is credited to ‘Britney Brands,’ or something,” Hirsh continued. “So a photo was sent in; it wasn’t like, a photo shoot by People.” Yet the editor-in-chief of People, Wendy Naugle, told CBS News that the cover photo came from a closed shoot on the beaches of Tahiti.
Fans are still suspicious, however, with many claiming that the photo doesn’t look like Spears.
2. Britney Spears’ interview with People Magazine wasn’t an in-person interview.
Hirsch commented on Spears’ interview with People Magazine, which was reportedly completed via email.
The text featured in People Magazine explicitly states that Spears’ “exclusive interview” was “done via email.” People Magazine quoted Spears as she described her life after the end of her conservatorship. The text reads, “‘Learning this new freedom, I’ll admit, is challenging at times,’ she tells People in an exclusive interview, done via email.”
In the comments section of Hirsch’s post, many fans expressed that they won’t believe that Spears is in control of the project until they see a live interview featuring her discussing the memoir.
3. Spears isn’t recording the audio version of her book.
Hirsch stated that the audio version of "The Woman In Me" is being narrated by actress Michelle Williams, not Spears herself.
Yet as one fan noted beneath Hirsch’s post, Spears made a comment on Instagram that recording the audio version would have been too hard for her emotionally. If that’s the case, then not giving her voice for the recording is an act of her own true agency.
4. Fans think a ghostwriter actually penned the memoir, not Spears.
This specific concern is rooted in reality, as most celebrities don’t write their own books, even though their names are on the cover. In the publishing industry, it’s an entirely common practice for celebrity memoirs to be written with the help of a ghostwriter, a professional author who’s hired to distill a version of the celebrity’s life from a given oral account onto the page.
Deuxmoi, the celebrity gossip account, spoke about the issue of Spears having a ghostwriter for her memoir on a recent podcast episode.
Deuxmoi posted a TikTok promoting the podcast episode, in which the podcast guest explained, “Britney did not write the book… Sam Lansky, who’s been a friend of mine for over a decade, he’s the one who wrote the book.”
“I’m sure that he sat down with Britney and heard a whole lot of things, and was writing them all down, and probably had enough for 600 or 700 pages,” the podcast guest, @entylawyer, explained. “I think people are going to be kind of disappointed in this book, not in the writing because Sam is an excellent writer.”
“There’s only so much that she’s going to be allowed to say,” he continued.
5. There are no press events planned around Spears’ memoir release.
It’s possible that Spears wanted to step away from the literary limelight and let the memoir itself do that talking, yet some fans think it’s strange that she’s not appearing, live and in person, at any promotional events. As @entylaywer told DeuxMoi, “Britney can’t do any of that,” referring to going out on tour and talking about the book.
Overall, fans worry that Spears doesn’t have control over her memoir. They also worry that she won’t be fairly compensated for it. At the end of her TikTok post, Hirsch stated, “I just need proof that Britney wrote this book and that the profits are going to her.”
It’s a valid concern, one that arises often in the publishing world; often, royalties and advances are based on sales. Yet initial reports surrounding the book deal stated that Spears was given a $15 million dollar advance by Simon & Schuster.
Despite the amount being one of the largest deals in history for a single title, Spears’ fans have expressed concern that she won’t receive profits from the deal. Some fans aren’t even sure Spears played a part in the book coming to be, at all, and it seems they won’t rest until Spears shows up and makes some sort of official statement.
Releasing a book into the world is like releasing a small piece of your heart for others to feast upon. Even if Spears utilized a ghostwriter, the story on the page is still hers.
It’s possible that she isn’t in control of this book coming earthside, yet it’s also possible that she has more agency than her fans think. She could easily be protecting herself from the swirling emotions that accompany telling your story to the world.
If that’s the case, Spears’ self-protective measure should be received by fans with grace.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers celebrity gossip, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.