Publisher Behind Aaron Carter Memoir Delays Release ‘Out of Respect for the Carter Family’
Written by djfrosty on November 13, 2022
Ballast Books is postponing the release date of its planned Aaron Carter memoir, Aaron Carter: An Incomplete Story of an Incomplete Life, following the singer’s death.
The decision was made, according to Scott Atherton, Atherton Galardi Mullen & Reeder PLLC founder and rep for both the publisher and the memoir’s co-writer, Andy Symonds, “out of respect for the Carter family.”
“My client has decided to defer the further release of the book at this time,” Atherton said in a statement. “Mr. Carter was not just a celebrity but also a father, a brother, a son and a friend to many still grieving for him.”
A new date was not given for the unfinished memoir, which was previously set to be released Nov. 15, according to the publisher. The delay follows a statement from Carter’s rep denying the singer was involved or wanted the title to be published.
“Aaron, in the midst of [working on the book], said, ‘I want nothing to do with this’ and stopped, so the fact that the publisher is saying it’s greenlit, it’s not,” a rep for Carter told Page Six. “That’s against Aaron’s wishes.”
As part of the delay announcement, Atherton asserted in a statement that “Aaron Carter wanted his story told.”
“And he wanted our client, Andy Symonds, a well-respected journalist and author, to tell that story with all its beauty and rawness,” the statement continued. “Public attention has recently focused on a small number of interactions during Mr. Carter’s early years. The more important story is about Mr. Carter’s life and what people can learn from his professional success, personal struggles and tragic passing.”
Symonds had worked with Carter on the memoir for three years, according to a Nov. 9 release announcing the publication of the unfinished book.
In a separate statement previously given to Billboard, the late singer’s management called the decision to release the “unauthorized” memoir posthumously “obscenely disrespectful.”
“In the few short days following our dear friend’s passing we have been trying to grieve and process while simultaneously having to deal with obscenely disrespectful and unauthorized releases,” Carter’s team said. “This is a time for mourning and reflection not heartless money grabs and attention seeking.”
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to a rep for Carter.
The singer and brother of Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter was found dead at the age of 34 in his Lancaster, California, home on Nov. 5 with no cause of death given at the time.
This article originally appeared on The Hollywood Reporter.