My Story (Duchess of York book)
| Company type | Autobiography |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | June 1996 |
| Founder | Sarah, Duchess of York |
| Products | Book |
| Parent | Simon & Schuster |
My Story is the 1996 autobiography authored by Sarah, Duchess of York, composed following her separation from Prince Andrew, Duke of York.
Released in June 1996 by Simon and Schuster, Sarah reportedly received an advance ranging from £800,000 to £1.5 million. The publisher's intention was to depict Sarah's narrative "as they truly are rather than the way they have been represented." Additionally, she was said to have been offered a further £1 million to encourage Diana, Princess of Wales to write a book.
The first edition consisted of 400,000 copies. Sarah supported the launch through appearances on various American television programs such as those hosted by Larry King, David Letterman, Oprah Winfrey, Rosie O'Donnell, and Diane Sawyer. During a promotional visit in November 1996, she initially requested £20,000 for an interview with Sky News, which was declined; she subsequently consented to participate without compensation. The Daily Mail raised questions regarding the veracity of certain claims made in the autobiography. The content of My Story was also serialized in Hello! magazine.
This memoir entered the market alongside two other contemporaneous publications: The Duchess of York: Uncensored, co-authored by her spiritual adviser Vasso Kortesis and David Leigh, and Fergie: Her Secret Life, written by her acquaintance Allan Starkie.
Among the significant disclosures was Sarah’s account of discovering a "worm like device" she suspected to be an MI5 listening apparatus installed in her residence. She also confessed to lavish expenditures facilitated by Coutts bank, resulting in an overdraft totaling £3.3 million.
Reception
In a November 1996 review for The Times, Sarah Bradford described My Story as a "sheltered complaint portraying herself as a victim," criticizing its "terrible" prose and concluding it "might be the worst book of the decade." Conversely, satirist Joe Queenan offered a humorous perspective in The New York Times, calling it a "foundational guide to the mindset of the entrepreneur," likening Ms. Ferguson to figures such as Sam Walton and Donald Trump. He emphasized its "homespun wisdom" and cited her counsel: "When you have touched the flames of hell, a branding iron is only a mild inconvenience."
See also
- Finding Sarah: A Duchess's Journey to Find Herself, her 2011 memoir