BTS will release a book in South Korea and the United States on July 9.
The book, titled Beyond The Story: 10-Year Record of BTS, is an oral history of the group written by journalist Myeongseok Kang and BTS members. It’ll be published in South Korea by Big Hit Music and in the US by Flatiron Books.
July 9 is a significant date for BTS as it’s the day their fanbase – known as the ‘Army’ – was founded in 2013.
The book has been the subject of intense speculation on social media after US booksellers noticed last weekend that a mystery book known as ‘4C Untitled Flatiron Nonfiction Summer 2023’ was set for publication on July 9. It had a huge initial print run of one million copies, and required booksellers to sign an affidavit to stock copies on publication day. A Flatiron sales official emailed sellers to let them know the title would have “global appeal” and “massive publicity”.
Fans of Taylor Swift were convinced that the book was about the singer, as the book’s announcement was originally set to be June 13, and 13 is apparently Swift’s favourite number. Others noticed that the book is 544 pages long – and 5+4+4=13.
But BTS fans claimed that the book was really about the K-Pop group, given that June 13 is also a significant date for the band as it marks the 10th anniversary of their first single, No More Dream.
The fevered speculation about the book has already made it a bestseller, with it racing up the charts at both Amazon and Barnes & Noble as fans of both Swift and BTS rushed to pre-order it.
The confirmation that the book is about BTS is undoubtedly thrilling news for the band’s Army, as in December 2021 the group announced they were going on hiatus as a result of exhaustion and a desire to focus on solo projects. In October 2022, it was then announced that members of the group would perform their mandatory military service (as is legally required of all able-bodied South Korean men under the age of 30), meaning any reunion would be delayed until 2025.
While new music looks unlikely for the time being, as well as this new book, the group also have a few documentaries in the pipeline.
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