Fans were ready to hit bookstores one more time — 1.1 million more times, actually. Pop singer Britney Spears’ memoir, “The Woman in Me,” has sold 1.1 million copies in its first week of release and topped the New York Times best-seller list.
The book made headlines thanks to revelations about Spears’ ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake, an abortion she had that Timberlake pushed for and her controversial conservatorship that gave her father extensive control of her life, among other topics. She also took an unusual approach to the audiobook, with acclaimed actress Michelle Williams standing in for Spears to read the text.
That 1.1 million total includes pre-orders and sales in print, e-book and audiobook formats. The audio version has been a hot-seller, with Gallery noting that it’s the fastest selling audio release in the company’s history.
While Spears’ exuberantly wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post that her book was “the highest-selling celebrity memoir in history,” that still isn’t true — but it’s certainly doing well.
“I poured my heart and soul into my memoir, and I am grateful to my fans and readers around the world for their unwavering support,” Spears said in a statement released Wednesday by the book’s publisher, Gallery Books, a division of Simon & Schuster.
The pop icon also teased a second volume of her story to be released next year, but later deleted the post.
Spears has also stated on Instagram that, despite the salacious details, she wasn’t trying to upset people with the book.
“My book’s purpose was not to offend anyone by any means!!!” Spears wrote, noting that it’s about her past and adding, “I don’t like the headlines I am reading. … Most of the book is from 20 years ago… I have moved on and it’s a beautiful clean slate from here!!!”
The singer said that the book had given her a sense of closure and that she hopes it can help others who feel alone, hurt or misunderstood.
She concluded, “My motive for this book was not to harp on my past experiences which is what the press is doing and it’s dumb and silly!!! I have moved on since then!!!”
The title is a reference to the Spears classic “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman,” featured in her lone starring acting appearance, the movie “Crossroads.” The song includes the line, “I’m just trying to find the woman in me” — after all these years, the book’s title indicates she’s getting there.
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