Amanda Knox Receives $4 Million in Explosive Book Deal
Amanda Knox, who was finally cleared of murder after four years in an Italian prison, has sold her memoir to HarperCollins after an incredible bidding war.
The 24-year-old Seattle resident pocketed close to $4 million for the book, which reportedly offers a gripping account of her experience in Italy before and after her former roommate, Meredith Kercher's murder.
"Knox will give a full and unflinching account of the events that led to her arrest in Perugia and her struggles with the complexities of the Italian judicial system," HarperCollins said in a statement Thursday.
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"Aided by journals she kept during her imprisonment, Knox will talk about her harrowing experience at the hands of the Italian police and later prison guards and inmates. She will reveal never before-told details surrounding her case, and describe how she used her inner strength and strong family ties to cope with the most challenging time of her young life," the statement added.
The memoir is expected to be a bestseller despite some critics questioning the ethics behind Knox' decision to profit for her harrowing experience.
Knox and then boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were arrested following the killing of Kercher in 2007.
While they were both convicted of murder in 2009, their convictions were overturned in October 2011. Italian prosecutors have now begun to appeal that latest ruling.
Several New York publishing houses are said to have partaken in bidding wars for right's to Knox's tell all including St. Martin's Press, an imprint of Macmillan; Atria, part of Simon & Schuster; and Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Group USA.
In a recent statement HarperCollins publisher Jonathan Burnham explained why it was important for Knox to write a memoir.
"No one has yet heard Amanda Knox's own account of what happened, and this book will give Knox an opportunity to tell the story in full detail, for the first time. It will be the story of a crime and a trial, but also a moving account of a young woman's struggle to cope with a nightmarish ordeal that placed her at the center of a media storm, and led to her imprisonment," Burnham said in a statement.
The book, which is currently untitled, is scheduled for release during 2013.
