OJ Simpson Book Finds New Publisher; Victims’ Families at Odds

By Anastacia Mott Austin

Beaufort Books, a small publishing company in New York, will be publishing O.J. Simpson’s "hypothetical" account of the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman.

Originally titled, "If I Did It," the book was squashed last year after public outrage. But on July 30th of this year, a judge awarded the Goldman family the rights to the book, after discovering that Simpson had attempted to keep the money he’d received in an advance from Harper Collins from them.

Acquitted in 1995 of the murders of his ex-wife and Ron Goldman, Simpson was found liable for the deaths in a 1997 civil suit filed by the families of the victims. Simpson still owes them more than $33 million dollars.

The victims’ families had originally been on the same page, so to speak, about the book, agreeing that it was a shameful attempt on Simpson’s part to profit from the murders. But now that the Goldmans have the book rights, they say they plan to publish it.

They want the public to know the whole story. "The family and publisher have pledged to leave Simpson’s manuscript entirely intact, but they will also add key commentary," said Michael Wright, a literary management representative for the Goldman family, to reporters. Added Eric Kampmann, president of Beaufort, "[We] will be working diligently to not only publish this book well, but to honor the memory of the victims of this terrible crime, Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson."

Denise Brown, Nicole Simpson’s sister, is incensed by the idea. She issued a statement to the press yesterday in which she said she was "shocked and horrified" that the book will be published, and cannot believe that Nicole’s children Sydney, 21, and Justin, 19, "will have to be subjected to this step-by-step manual on how their mother and her friend Ron were murdered."

Brown and Eric Kampmann, a representative for Beaufort Books, both appeared this morning on The NBC "Today" show.

Said Brown on the show, "A majority of this country—of the world—knows that O.J. Simpson murdered Nicole and Ron...It’s not even about the murders anymore. This has become the commercialization of blood money."

Countered Kampmann, "These are his words. This is his description. This is his confession. The people in this country should be able to read O.J.’s words and make a decision for themselves."

Kampmann said that he initially had agreed with Denise Brown’s opinion on the book, but then changed his mind after the Goldmans won the book rights.

"The fact that the guy who wrote this book, O.J. Simpson, was going to profit from putting this book on the marketplace—I think that was what so many people objected to, not the story itself," said Kampmann on the "Today" show.

The Goldman family plans to re-name the book Confessions of a Double Murderer and market it as a confession to the murders.

But Denise Brown doesn’t think that makes it any better. The two families, who were once united by tragedy, unfortunately have only harsh words for one another now. "I can’t see straight whenever I think that Fred Goldman would use the American people then turn around and put money in his pocket," she told reporters.

Countered Goldman family attorney David Cook, "They are getting 10 percent of [the book sales]," said Cook to reporters. "If the Brown family is so repulsed by this book, they can go right ahead and withdraw that proof of claim."

Denise Brown thinks that no one should profit from the book, and that the best plan would be to leave it unpublished.

"What about Sydney and Justin?" Brown asked Kampmann on the "Today" show. "These children lost their mother. Why would you bring this nightmare back to these children?"