OJ Simpson Murder Book

OJ Simpson's Book , If I Did It, ignited a storm of pre-publication controversy. "This is not about being heard. This is about trying to cash in, in a pathetic way, on some notoriety," said Sara Nelson, editor-in-chief of Publishers Weekly. "That a person keeps wanting to bring this up seems almost nutty to me."

Denise Brown, sister of murder victim Nicole Brown Simpson, said, "We hope Ms. Regan takes full accountability for promoting the wrongdoing of criminals and leveraging this forum and the actions of Simpson to commercialize abuse."

She went on to say that Simpson's "two children will be exposed to [his] inexplicable behavior and we will provide them with our love and support during this time. It's unfortunate that Simpson has decided to awaken a nightmare that we have painfully endured and worked so hard to move beyond."

Patricia Schroeder, president and chief executive of the Association of American Publishers, described OJ Simpson's Book as sickening:

"But I think it's going to stir an awful lot of debate and make the culture take a real look at itself, and that may not be unhealthy."

The day after the announcement, an online boycott encouraging Americans to ignore OJ Simpson's book commenced at OJBookBoycott.com and similar boycotts began in Australia and Europe. Within four days of the book's announcement, over 58,395 people had signed an online petition developed by Ronald Goldman's family, DontPayOJ.com, declaring their opposition to the book. The website directs boycotters to send protests to HarperCollins, ReganBooks, Fox television and all major booksellers in the United States.

Bookshops were divided as to stocking this title in their stores. Numerous independent stores, appalled by OJ Simpson's book , said either that they will not sell it or will offer limited copies and give away the proceeds. Borders Books and Waldenbooks said they will donate any profits they make from OJ Simpson's book to charities which benefit victims of domestic violence. Borders, Inc. spokesperson Ann Binkley said, "The book will be available for sale at all Borders and Waldenbooks stores because we believe it is the right of customers to decide what they read and what to buy, but we will not discount the title or promote it".

Prior to its cancellation, If I Did It was debated in Canada as well, with several stores there saying they will only order it for customers, but not stock it.

In the days following the OJ book's announcement, preorders put it in the top 20 of Amazon.com's bestseller list, though it had fallen to #51 when the book's cancellation was announced.

The proposed book outraged the Goldman family. "It's disgusting. Judith Regan is an opportunist. She's helping a murderer get his voice out there," Goldman's sister Kim Goldman told the New York Daily News. According to lawyers for the family of Ron Goldman, the family plans to attempt to garnish any earnings Simpson may get from the book. Fred Goldman, Ron Goldman's father, was awarded $33.5 million by a jury in 1997 for the wrongful death of Ron Goldman though Simpson never paid this judgment due to California law that prevents pensions from being used to satisfy judgments. Of the book and television interview, Goldman says,

"It is an all-time low for television. To imagine that a major network would put a murderer on TV to have him tell how he would murder the mother of his children and my son is beyond comprehension. It’s morally reprehensible to me... to think you are willing to give somebody airtime about how they would murder two people."

Legal experts theorized that Simpson might be able to avoid paying the Goldmans or Browns any money. "I think it's going to be difficult if [Simpson] arranges to have [book profits] deposited abroad," said lawyer Tom Mesereau, who successfully defended Michael Jackson in his child molestation trial in 2005. "It's one thing to enforce a judgment in America, and another to enforce it overseas."

Mesereau said Simpson also might have profits "paid into a trust offshore or a corporation in a different name."

Fox Broadcasting Company said it would air a two-part taped interview with Simpson, conducted by Judith Regan, publisher of the book. The interview was scheduled to air on November 27, 2006 and November 29, 2006, timed to coincide with the publication. The program would not have been a "news" show under the auspices of the Fox News unit; the broadcast network's alternative programming department, headed by Mike Darnell, would have been responsible. The network released this statement on November 15, 2006:

"O.J. Simpson, in his own words, tells for the first time how he would have committed the murders if he were the one responsible for the crimes. In the two-part event, Simpson describes how he would have carried out the murders he has vehemently denied committing for over a decade."

On November 16, 2006 Judith Regan issued a statement claiming that her reason for doing the interview and releasing the OJ Simpson book was an attempt to find closure after having been a battered woman herself.

"The men who lied and cheated and beat me — they were all there in the room," she said. "And the people who denied it, they were there, too. And though it might sound a little strange, Nicole and Ron were in my heart. And for them I wanted him to confess his sins, do penance, and to amend his life. Amen."

On November 25, 2006, the Los Angeles Times reported about speculation that screenwriter Pablo Fenjves, a witness at the 1995 trial, was the ghostwriter for OJ Simpson's book .

Source: Wikipedia