NEW YORK, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- U.S. book-selling giant Barnes & Noble reversed field, saying it would sell O.J. Simpson's "If I Did It" in its stores as well as online.
Barnes & Noble spokeswoman Mary Ellen Keating said the chain had monitored pre-orders and customer requests, determining enough interest existed to justify stocking it in stores, eFluxMedia.com reported Friday. Originally it limited Simpson's hypothetical account of the slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, to online or special orders.
A federal bankruptcy judge ruled book rights belong to Goldman’s family, who pressed for publication. The former NFL player, acquitted in the killings of his ex-wife and Goldman, owes the Goldman family $33.5 million in damages from a wrongful death judgment.
Goldman’s family said the book will remain intact and commentary would be added. Beaufort Books in New York will publish 150,000 copies of “If I Did It” Sept. 4.
“We will be working diligently to not only publish this book well," Beaufort president Eric Kampmann said in a statement, "but to honor the memory of the victims of this terrible crime: Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson.”
