Author J. Randy Taraborrelli, who has been a very busy man since the arrest of Michael Jackson, just published the biography Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness with Sidgwick & Jackson in the U.K. The book, at 700 pages, is an update of his 1991 title of the same name. Both versions are a result of the writer's longstanding relationship with the star, but neither the new or old title is available in the U.S., and the author is crying foul.
Kensington published the book here 12 years ago and continues to hold U.S. rights, which, said Taraborrelli, it has, inexplicably, refused to give back. "I'm practically doing every TV interview show known to man right now, but people in the U.S. can't buy my book," said the author. "It's very exasperating. They have a couple copies sitting in a vault somewhere. They won't give me back the rights and they're not doing anything with them." He said the publisher's unwillingness to give back U.S. rights to the earlier version ties his hands and prevents him from selling the updated book.
Kensington declined to comment about the rights issue, saying only that it is not preparing for a re-release of the book. "We have no plans to bring it back to press at this time," said Joan Schulhafer, Kensington's director of publicity. "We don't think there's going to be that much interest in Jackson beyond the headlines."
The title has had its small share of controversy. In 1991, Motown founder Berry Gordy sued Taraborrelli for $100 million for libel and invasion of privacy. Taraborrelli countersued Gordy, asking for $200 million. The two reached a settlement that did not involve Taraborrelli paying damages to Gordy.
