OJ Simpson’s If I Did It has been causing quite the stir among the writing/publishing world.
From Shelf Awareness:
If They Sold If I Did It
Distasteful is perhaps not strong enough a word to describe how some booksellers feel about selling a book by O.J. Simpson, particularly one called If I Did It. The ReganBooks title is scheduled to be published November 30 and will be promoted on Fox TV in two segments featuring Simpson interviewed by Judith Regan.
As Nancy Olson, owner of Quail Ridge Books & Music in Raleigh, N.C., put it: “Do we take a ‘stand’ on such a book, thereby sending our customers who want to buy it to our competitors? Is this a form of censorship? Or do we make it available without displaying it other than having it on the shelf?” She added, “I’m disturbed to be put in such a position. Freedom of the press notwithstanding, the way they’re marketing the book raises huge ethical questions. We all know the publishers are desperate to make money on commercial books, but this takes the cake.” Late yesterday, Olson said, the store decided to sell the book but donate proceeds “to Interact, a nonprofit here that shelters battered women and children.”
The outrage about the book has not abated. Some 96% of booksellers who sell through Abebooks.com and who answered a query about the book said they would not stock the book. Among the responses from 979 booksellers: “It lowers the book industry to a new depth.” “O.J. and whoever publishes this crap should be imprisoned.” “I do not believe people should be able to profit from their crimes.”
Even some Foxes are appalled by the actions of their own company and other News Corp. companies. According to the Guardian, Bill O’Reilly, whose new book is Culture Warrior, has called for a boycott of advertisers on the shows in which Judith Regan interviews Simpson. And Geraldo Rivera called the deal ‘appalling’ and said he would oppose it. Likewise a handful of the 200 Fox affiliate TV stations across the country have said they won’t air the show.
Maybe in the end, few people will buy If I Did It. AbeBooks.com polled visitors on its site about whether they would buy the book and 97% of the 371 respondents indicated they wouldn’t do it. Among written responses: “What a mockery of humanity. I hope no one buys this book.” And “he and his publisher have no sense of decency.”
11/20/06 Special Edition:
News Corp. Won’t Do It After All
News Corp. chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch announced this afternoon that the company is canceling publication of O.J. Simpson’s book If I Did It as well as the broadcast of the two-part interview with Simpson that was conducted by Judith Regan and was to air on Fox News.
Murdoch commented: “I and senior management agree with the American public that this was an ill-considered project. We are sorry for any pain this has caused the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson.”
Regan’s imprint ReganBooks was to have published the book, which she called a “confession,” on November 30. The deal was estimated to be worth $3.5 million.
As most of you know, booksellers across the country were among the many people who were revulsed by the project. Many booksellers decided to donate proceeds from the sale of the book to appropriate charities or not to sell the book at all.
Widespread relief and cheer greeted News Corp.’s decision yesterday to cancel O.J. Simpson’s If I Did It and the Fox TV special that would have featured Judith Regan interviewing Simpson. E-mails we received yesterday after the announcement included the following comments:
* “Hip hip hooray.”
* “What a hopeful sign and a testament to the power of, not only freedom of speech, but of the power of the marketplace to respond to the speeches offered.”
* “The cancellation is delicious.”Reportedly some books have been shipped, but are supposed to be returned and pulped. This means, of course, that it’s likely a few copies will slip the net. Simpson’s tome isn’t listed on eBay yet, but Amazon’s boilerplate following the announcement of the book’s cancellation reads: “If you would like to purchase this title, we recommend that you occasionally check this page to see if it has become available.”
See today’s New York Times for the basic information about the cancellation and the important role of the Fox affiliates in New Corp.’s decision.
We had hoped never to write again about O.J. Simpson and If I Did It, but if we didn’t, we’d miss apparent confirmation of one of the many questionable aspects of a questionable project. Over the weekend, Simpson told the AP that he participated in the book and TV interview solely for personal profit, which he called “blood money,” and said that the book was not a confession, which is how publisher Judith Regan had justified the work. The AP quoted him telling a Florida radio station, “I made it clear from the first day I met the writer that I wasn’t involved. I said, ‘I have nothing to confess.’ ”
A few copies of If I Did It are showing up for sale, but HarperCollins is working to keep them from being listed, saying that all titles are Harper property and will be considered stolen.
In a recent article, Fake Gay News (because real gay news is too damn depressing) has reported about a new book If I Did Her:
Michelle Rodriguez Pens New Book, “If I Did Herâ€
by bad machine 11/27/2006LOS ANGELES, CA – To fill the vacuum left by O.J. Simpson’s book If I Did It being pulled from release, publisher Judith Reagan announced at a recent press conference that Girlfight and TV’s Lost star Michelle Rodriguez would be releasing a book of her own entitled If I Did Her that would describe a romantic relationship between herself and BloodRayne costar, Kristanna Loken, if they in fact, had one.
“I consider it her confession,†Reagan said to reporters.
An advance copy of If I Did Her was obtained by Fake Gay News through Reagan’s office. In the book, Rodriguez speculates how she would have flirted shamelessly with Loken when shooting BloodRayne in Romania, creating a sexually-charged atmosphere only the two of them could feel.
Heh. “sexually-charged atmosphere only the two of them could feel.” I keep laughing over that one.
Speaking of both laughing and Shelf Awareness, I just had to share this from today’s issue:
Robert Gray: Black Friday ‘Based on a True Story’
Take a deep breath. Black Friday weekend is over and now the plot thickens. You already know the story because it doesn’t really change much from year to year: consumer mob scenes, absurd discounts on “limited quantities,” stock shortages, crashing superstore Web sites and 24/7 coverage of this peculiar cross between the Oklahoma Land Rush and shark attacks.
For the 15th straight year, I worked the sales floor at Northshire Bookstore during this extremely busy (though seldom busiest, despite the media hype) shopping day.
On a national scale, Black Friday is always what it pretends to be, influencing consumer behavior the way The Da Vinci Code manipulates religious prejudice by suggesting that it’s all “based on a true story.” That this happens only a day after the annual debut of Santa Claus in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade should be a clue that we love to have our myths shaken and stirred.
(snip)
The buzziest book of the day was the one that didn’t get published (O.J. Simpson’s If I Did It, heretofore known as If We’d Sold It). I had more conversations with customers about this non-starter than about any other title.