BTS’ First Book Shoots Up to No. 1 on Best-Seller Lists, Hours After Release
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Beyond the Story: 10-Year Record of BTS was released July 9, immediately soaring up to the top of Amazon’s best-seller charts, reaching No.1 on the overall book charts in a number of hours.
A preview of the book shows BTS‘ origins, structured into chapters: “Seoul,” “Why We Exist,” “Love, Hate, Army,” and more. The cover was also released, showing a sleek navy blue background with multi-colored laser stripes.
More from Rolling Stone
Ticketmaster France Couldn't Handle Taylor Swift Demand Either
Taylor Swift Proves Third Time's the Charm With 'Last Kiss' Performance
Amazon currently has the book on sale for $27, a 40% discount from its original price of $45. Beyond the Story can be purchased now as a hardcover book, but you can also download it as an audiobook. The chapters are read by Kim Young-Gi and Park Chan-won, two voiceover artists who were chosen by the group themselves to narrate the book.
Beyond the Story: 10-Year Record of BTS
Previously, when the contents and theme of the book were unknown, it set off an explosion in another fanbase. Fervent speculation over what the book could be fueled rumors that a Taylor Swift book was in the works — turns out, it’s a “blockbuster” memoir on K-pop powerhouse BTS.
When Flatiron Books announced that an anonymous celebrity would be releasing an untitled book in July — “4C Untitled Flatiron Nonfiction Summer 2023” — Taylor Swift fans pre-ordered it in droves, skyrocketing the mystery book to No. 1 on Barnes and Noble and Amazon. But the immediate bestseller was revealed to be by another musical juggernaut: BTS.
The New York Times reported that the nonfiction title was actually Beyond the Story: 10-Year Record of BTS, an oral history of BTS written by journalist Myeongseok Kang. The K-pop group’s memoir arrived on July 9, a nod to a big day in the BTS history: The Army, the group’s dedicated fan base, was founded on that date, which will be the fan group’s 10th anniversary.
This project was conducted under so much secrecy that it still feels very odd to be suddenly allowed to share this, and we want to leave the surprises in the book a secret for as long as possible out of respect for ARMY, but yes, Slin, @clarehannahmary and I are its translators. pic.twitter.com/NeehXJPjAT
— Anton Hur (@AntonHur) May 11, 2023
Another anniversary will be celebrated this summer, as solo documentaries J-Hope in the Box and Suga: Road to D-Day will begin playing in theaters on June 17 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of BTS’ debut.
Beyond the Story: 10-Year Record of BTS
The U.S. edition of the book is translated by Anton Hur with Clare Richards and Slin Jung, and rings in at a formidable 544 pages, including exclusive photographs of the band. Check out the book now, available on Amazon.com.
Best of Rolling Stone
