Britney Spears’ memoir is still selling like a blockbuster less than three months after its publication.
According to a release from her publisher, Gallery Books, the embattled pop star’s autobiography, The Woman in Me, has now sold more than two million copies in print, e-book, and audiobook formats in the United States. Released in late October 2023, the book sold more than 1 million copies in its first week, becoming an instant New York Times bestseller. A reviewer for Kirkus wrote of the book, “Spears’ vulnerability shines through as she describes her painful journey from vulnerable girl to empowered woman.”
“Thank you to all the fans who have supported me and my story,” Spears said in a statement announcing the milestone. “Love you All!!!”
The Woman in Me chronicles Spears’ rise to stardom, from a stint on The Mickey Mouse Club, recording top 10 singles like “Oops!…I Did It Again,” romances with Justin Timberlake and others, and a much-discussed conservatorship overseen by her father, Jamie Spears, which sparked the #FreeBritney movement. The conservatorship, which placed strict limits on her ability to manage her own career, ended in 2021. Spears received a reported $15 million to write her memoir.
According to the publisher, Spears’ memoir is as much a worldwide phenomenon as an American one, becoming a No. 1 bestseller in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. Approximately 3 million copies of The Woman in Me have been published globally. In addition, Gallery said that the audiobook, narrated by Michelle Williams, has sold faster than any other audiobook in the company’s history.
Mark Athitakis is a journalist in Phoenix.
