Yahoo Finance Will Smith Reveals the Title and Cover of His Upcoming Memoir: 'My First Book Ever!'
Isa Foltin/WireImage Will Smith
Will Smith is sharing his story on his own terms.
On Saturday, the award-winning actor revealed the title and cover of his upcoming autobiography, WILL, on Instagram and his website. The inspirational memoir will be published by Penguin Press on Nov. 9.
"It's been a labor of love," Smith said in a video posted on social media about the exciting news. "I've been working on it for the past two years and it is finally ready."
In WILL, Smith will explore his personal trajectory, from his childhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to his iconic roles in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and an array of hit films like Ali (2001) and Hitch (2005).
The book is an "inspirational tale of how [Will Smith's] true self-knowledge helped to propel him to extraordinary success, and then evolve further to a place of deeper peace - with himself, his loved ones, and the world," according to the press release announcing the book deal in October 2018.
Smith also revealed the cover for the forthcoming release, which was created by New Orleans-based visual artist Brandan "BMike" Odums. The cover features a series of portraits of the actor painted on top of each other.
"The idea is to communicate visually the evolution of a person, from childhood through adulthood, and at major stages of their life in between," according to a press release.
Brandan “BMike” Odums Will Smith
Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage The actor with his family
The actor is writing WILL with Mark Manson, whose self-help manual The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F-K became a bestseller when it published in 2016. Three months before Smith's book deal was announced, he teased his book and his partnership with Manson on Instagram.
"I'm writing a book! I've got years and years of stuff I've been wanting to say and I'm finally gonna write a book. I'm writing it for y'all," Smith said in the July 2018 Instagram video.
"Are you feeling confident?" Smith asked Manson in the video. "Are you feeling like we'll be able to do transcendent art with this book?"
"I spent the last six months with crippling anxiety, but today I feel great," Manson joked.
Later in the video, Smith addressed upcoming negotiations with five book publishers.
RELATED VIDEO: Will Smith Isn't Ruling Out Running for President 'at Some Point Down the Line'
"I feel very confident that we're gonna go with the highest bidder... I'm just saying," he said with a smile.
Not only will WILL be inspirational, it will highlight Smith's humor and candor.
"[Mark Manson] is the TRUTH! He's gonna get a book outta me," Smith captioned the video. "I'm SOOO Ready! I'm 'bout to tell y'all ALL MY BUSINESS."
WILL is now available for preorder.
