Taylor Swift fans made a mystery memoir into a bestseller before it had even been published – and it’s now been revealed the star is not the author after all.
The book previously known as 4C Untitled Flatiron Nonfiction Summer 2023 now goes by the name Beyond The Story: 10-Year Record Of BTS.
That has left thousands of Swifties $45 (£35) out of pocket and with a 544-page hardback about the K-pop group coming their way.
The book will be published on 9 July, known as Army day, the 10th anniversary of the founding of the BTS Army fan base.
Swift’s fans worked themselves into a book-buying frenzy after spotting several “clues” the singer was the author.
The maths of the page numbers was one: 5 + 4 + 4 = 13 – the star’s lucky number.
Then there were her social media posts announcing the release of her upcoming re-released album, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), spookily close to the book’s publication date of 9 July.
“My version of Speak Now will be out July 7 (just in time for July 9th, iykyk)”, she wrote.
Read more:
Elliot Page shares topless photo
Who could win Eurovision?
Swift, 33, who is currently touring stadiums in the United States, also addressed the post to “Dear reader” – surely a reference to an upcoming book rather than a play on a track off her latest album, Midnights (3am Edition), fans decided.
Swifties were so certain they pre-ordered it in their droves, driving it to the top of book sales charts.
Publisher Flatiron Books has now announced the book has nothing to do with Taylor Swift.
Click to subscribe to Backstage wherever you get your podcasts
Written by the journalist Myeongseok Kang, the book is structured like an oral history about BTS and has been translated into English by Anton Hur, in collaboration with Clare Richards and Slin Jung.
The author and subject were due to be revealed June 13 – not another nod to Swift’s favourite number, it turned out, but the 10th anniversary of BTS’ first single, No More Dream.
The publisher brought forward the announcement by more than a month.