Amanda Knox, the American student convicted and then cleared of murdering her British room-mate Meredith Kercher, has signed a book deal with publisher Harper Collins worth a reported $4 million, according to the UK's Daily Telegraph.
Knox will pen a "full and unflinching" account of the events surrounding her initial arrest and conviction, and the re-trial that followed. Following what was described as a "heated bidding war", publishing giant Harper Collins secured the as-yet-untitled book, which should go on sale in the United States earlier next year. In one of the most talked about criminal cases in recent memory, Knox and her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were sentenced to 26 and 25 years respectively in prison for the murder of Kercher in the Italian city of Perugia in 2007. She was found not-guilty in a re-trial last year, having served four years in prison. A third defendant, Rudy Guede, still remains in prison for the murder. In a statement, Harper Collins said, "Knox will give a full and unflinching account of the events that led to her arrest in Perugia and her struggles with the complexities of the Italian judicial system.Aided by journals she kept during her imprisonment, Knox will talk about her harrowing experience at the hands of the Italian police and later prison guards and inmates". The publisher promises that Knox will reveal "never before told details" surrounding the case, and how she used her "inner strength" to get through it.
Though the publisher refused to reveal the figures involved, insiders say it's at least seven figures and probably close to $4 million. Washington lawyer Robert B. Barnett had helped Knox broker a deal for the book - his past clients have include President Barack Obama, President Bill Clinton and SARAH PALIN.