Jennette McCurdy will follow up her bestselling memoir with two new books, including her debut novel, Publishers Weekly reports.
The actor, known for her role on the sitcom iCarly, reportedly signed a seven-figure deal for her next two books with publisher Ballantine. The deal comes after the huge success of her memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died, which has been a New York Times bestseller for nine weeks.
McCurdy’s memoir tells the story of the fraught relationship with her mother, who she says was emotionally abusive. In a starred review, a critic for Kirkus called the book “the heartbreaking story of an emotionally battered child delivered with captivating candor and grace.”
Other reviewers agreed, with Nina Li Coomes calling the memoir “a triumph of the confessional genre” in the Atlantic, and Nylah Burton praising it as “a heart-wrenching but honest account of living with an eating disorder” in Glamour.
In an interview with the Cut, McCurdy said she couldn’t have written the book if her mother hadn’t died.
“I don’t think I would have been brave enough to stand up to her, unfortunately,” she said. “I would still be in a career I’d be dissatisfied with, I certainly wouldn’t have any of the catharsis or healing that writing has provided me.”
McCurdy’s agent, Peter McGuigan of Ultra Literary, told Publishers Weekly that the deal will help the actor achieve a longtime career goal.
“Jennette wants to write fiction,” he said. “Being a novelist is her dream job.”
Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.
