At the beginning of the week, those who keep an eye bestseller book lists might have noticed a yet untitled and unpublished book steadily climbing the charts—at one point peaking at number one on Barnes & Noble‘s list and hovering around the top five on Amazon.
People began speculating immediately because there aren’t many reasons why a book with no title, no cover, and no author should garner so many pre-orders—unless, of course, a celebrity was involved. And that’s how “4C Untitled Flatiron Nonfiction Summer 2023,” the only indicator of the project available at the time, turned into a possible Taylor Swift memoir.
Swifties gathered clues and signs that pointed to this book being authored by none other than Miss Americana herself. First, there’s the fact that “4C Untitled Flatiron Nonfiction Summer 2023” is set to be published on July 9, just two days after Swift is releasing Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), on July 7. The date of July 9 is also referenced in a song from Speak Now—”Last Kiss”—while one of the most popular tracks off of that same album is titled “Dear Reader.”
Still, right as the hype around the book was reaching its peak on various social media platforms, Variety reported that the author is definitely not Taylor Swift. And a new article from the New York Times has just revealed who is in fact behind this mysterious book, and it’s an equally well-known name within the global music industry. I mean, of course, BTS.
The New York Times details that the book will be titled Beyond The Story: 10-Year Record of BTS, and that it was written by the seven members of BTS—RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—together with journalist Myeongseok Kang.
The book will be published in South Korea by Big Hit Music, the group’s label, and will be carried over to the United States by Flatiron Books. According to the publisher, the book will “contain exclusive photographs.”
That could be enough to sell any ARMY on it—me first and foremost. Add to that BTS telling their own story in their own words, on a very meaningful anniversary, while the members are going through the process of releasing solo music and embarking on their mandatory military service? Oh, we’ll need tissues. So many tissues.
Many of the details that led Swifties to believe this was going to be some sort of memoir from Swift are still there. Beyond The Story: 10-Year Record of BTS will indeed have a first printing of one million copies, for starters, which could only be warranted if the book was about some massive name in the entertainment industry.
And then there’s the question of the dates. The official announcement was originally planned for June 13, while the book was of course scheduled to be published—and will in fact be published—on July 9. While, yes, 13 is famously Taylor Swift’s lucky number and July 9 is referenced in the Speak Now album, they’re also pretty significant dates to BTS and their fanbase.
The group debuted on June 13, 2013, with the track “No More Dream,” from their first single album 2 COOL 4 SKOOL, meaning that the book would have been announced right on time for BTS’ 10th anniversary.
BTS’ official fanbase, the famous ARMY—which stands for Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth—has been around pretty much ever since the group’s debut. It was created on July 9, 2013, so the actual publication date of the book will fall right on another very meaningful 10-year anniversary.
And in true ARMY fashion, the reactions to the book announcement on the ARMY side of Twitter have been hilarious:
(featured image: HYBE)
