Judith Regan out at HarperCollins

NEW YORK, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- Publisher Judith Regan, who made headlines recently for promoting a book by O.J. Simpson, has been let go by HarperCollins, it was announced in New York.

Regan found herself at the center of a media storm -- and was publicly criticized by News Corps. head Rupert Murdoch -- over her plan to publish "If I Did It." The book purported to be Simpson's take on how he would have killed his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Brown, in 1994.

HarperCollins announced Regan's departure Friday with a press release headlined "Judith Regan Terminated," Daily Variety reported.

Regan's imprint, ReganBooks, has been a moneymaker for HarperCollins, issuing books by such authors as Rush Limbaugh and Howard Stern. Simpson's book was to have been accompanied by a TV special in which Regan interviewed Simpson.

Controversy resulted in Murdoch canceling the book and the TV special, and calling the project "ill conceived."

The upcoming slate of releases for ReganBooks includes a fictionalized story about baseball great Mickey Mantle, which is controversial because it allegedly takes liberties with real events -- and suggests Mantle had an affair with Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe, Variety said.