Will Smith is releasing his first book. The multi-talented entertainer took to Instagram Saturday (June 19) to make the announcement. “I know this is weird but this is my book. It’s been a labor of love. I’ve been working on it for the past two years. It is finally ready,” Smith said in an IG reel.
He used a Pixar filter and also shared the cover, which was designed by New Orleans-based visual artist Brandan “BMike” Odums. In the caption the Fresh Prince wrote, MY FIRST BOOK EVER!! WTH?!?! Pre-order in my bio or willsmith.com Thank [you] for rockin’ with me!! #WillTheBook.”
According to Willthebook.com, “WILL” is “the product of a profound journey of self knowledge, a reckoning with all that your will can get you and all that it can leave behind.” It’s a memoir crafted into a story of how Smith mastered his own emotions. It chronicles “The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air” star’s transformation from a “fearful child” in West Philadelphia to “one of the biggest rap stars of his era and then one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood history.”
The memoir was co-written by Mark Manson, the author of the bestseller “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck.” He and Smith used the book to delve into Smith’s personal life and address the conflict he faced with, at the height of his success, his own family. “Will Smith thought, with good reason, that he had won at life: not only was his own success unparalleled, his whole family was at the pinnacle of the entertainment world. Only they didn’t see it that way: they felt more like star performers in his circus, a seven-days-a-week job they hadn’t signed up for,” the site reads.
According to Jaden, who commented on his dad’s IG post, the book is a “life changer.” “WILL” is scheduled to release Nov. 9 and will be published by Penguin Press. It is currently available to pre-order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Google Play and willthebook.com.