HarperCollins has purchased the rights to publish the memoir of Amanda Knox, the American college student who was convicted of murdering her British roommate in Italy and then freed four months ago, the publisher announced today. The still-untitled book will be published in 2013.
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A statement from HarperCollins promised an inside look at the case. “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 sale price is reported to be $4 million, with HarperCollins outbidding Crown, St. Martin’s Press, Atria, and Dutton for the book. Knox is represented by Robert Barnett, the Washington lawyer and book agent whose clients include everyone from Bill Clinton to Sarah Palin to Barbra Streisand.
Knox was an American exchange student living in Perugia, Italy in November 2007 when her roommate, Meredith Kercher was found stabbed to death in their cottage. Knox and her Italian boyfriend Rafeal Sollecito were arrested on Nov. 6, 2007, five days after the murder.
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Knox’s trial, which drew worldwide attention, ended with her being convicted of the murder in 2009. An Italian appeals court overturned the conviction in October 2011 and Knox was freed after nearly four years in prison.
Since returning to her home in Seattle, Knox has kept a low profile. But television newsmagazines and publishers have been jockeying to get the first interview with her and to sign her to a book deal. With a book deal completed, attention will turn to which network lands the first interview with Knox.
Sollecito, Knox’s former boyfriend who was also convicted and freed of the murder, is said to be shopping his own memoir.
