O.J. Simpson’s 2007 book If I Did It topped the bestseller list days after the disgraced NFL star died at 76.
The book offers readers a “hypothetical premise” of how Simpson could be the murderer of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman. Simpson and ghostwriter Pablo Fenjves wrote the book, which was released in September 2007.
The book now sits at number 1, 2, and 4 spots on Amazon’s best bookseller list’s Criminology section. The book is available in multiple versions, which are auto, abridged, and unabridged. Simpson’s book is also number 8 in the Murder/True Crime section.
In the book, Simpson revealed how he would have approached Nicole Brown Simpson on the night of the murders. He wrote in detail how she taunted him and charged at him “like a banshee,” which resulted in him losing control.
Following the heated exchange, he drove by her condo and entered through a backdoor. He had a knife with him, which had been kept in his Bronco to “ward off the crazies” in Los Angeles.
Although his initial plan was to just “scare” Nicole, O.J. wrote he didn’t lose control until he noticed her dog was friendly towards Ron Goldman, who was present when he approached Nicole.
“You’ve been here before,” Simpson yelled to Goldman. Nicole responded by telling him to leave Goldman alone and then she charged at him. As she was running, Nicole slipped, fell, and smashed her head hard on the floor.
Simpson claimed he blacked out after that. “Then something went horribly wrong,” he added. “And I know what happened, but I can’t tell you exactly how.”
O.J. Simpson’s Daughter Was the One Who Originally Pitched the Book’s Concept
ABC News reported in June 2007 that a deposition revealed O.J.’s eldest daughter, Arnelle Simpson, came up with the book’s concept.
O.J. claimed in an interview he pitched the book, but he didn’t say who he pitched it to. However, he also said that the book’s title was created by its publisher, HarperCollins.
“That was their title,” Simpson reportedly stated about the book’s title. “That’s what they came up with. I didn’t pitch anything. I don’t make book deals.”
O.J. also maintained his innocence and said the book was meant to be a “fictional confession.”
“I have nothing to confess,” he declared. “This was an opportunity for my kids to get their financial legacy. My kids understand. I made it clear that it’s blood money, but it’s no different than any of the other writers who did books on the case.”
O.J. Simpson was famously acquitted of the 1994 murders in the dubbed the “Trial of the Century,” which took place the year after the murders occurred.
Simpson was later deemed liable for Nicole and Ron’s deaths in the 1997 civil case brought on by the victim’s families. He was ordered to pay the families $33.5 million, which he never completely paid.
However, before the book’s release, Ron Goldman’s family was awarded the rights to the book. Per the original agreement, the family paid 10% of the first $4 million in gross proceeds to a court-appointed trustee. Most of that money went to the Brown family.
The Goldman family then had the book’s name changed to If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer with the cover design printed with the word “if” in a smaller font compared to the other words.