Dolly Parton's Secret Memoir Sells for Jaw-Dropping $13Million After Fierce Bidding War — With Book Set for Release After Her Death

Dolly Parton was secretly writing her second memoir before her heartbreaking death, and the posthumous book's rights have sold for a whopping $13million in an epic bidding war, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

The legendary entertainer died at the age of 80 on August 25 after a private battle with cancer. Parton's first memoir, Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business, was released in 1994.

Multiple insiders told a publication that Grand Central Publishing emerged victorious in the multimillion-dollar publishing showdown, scooping up the rights to Parton's highly anticipated memoir.

The blockbuster deal was brokered by literary agency Folio, which previously handled the sale of the country icon's 2020 book, Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics.

Folio reportedly claimed they had a $12million offer for the book but "No one believed them, so they all stopped bidding [and] Folio went back to editors," according to the publication.

"They were all like, ‘WTF? You have $12 million, and we aren't beating that,'" a book industry source claimed. In a turn of events, "Grand Central did improve" on the staggering sum and "won the book." It's unclear when the book will be published.

Parton's first memoir lifted the curtain on her dirt-poor Tennessee upbringing, meteoric rise to country music superstardom, famously private marriage to Carl Dean, and love of plastic surgery.

But the Jolene singer largely steered clear of spilling the really juicy secrets about her romantic life, leaving fans wondering what she might reveal in another tell-all.

Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics focused squarely on the personal stories, memories, and inspirations behind 175 of her songs spanning more than six decades.

The blonde bombshell also released a 2012 inspirational book centered on four guiding principles, "Dream More, Learn More, Care More, and Be More," which expanded on her famed 2009 commencement speech at the University of Tennessee.

It's still a mystery just how many secrets Parton revealed in her final memoir, including whether she opened up about her devastating health struggles and the heartbreaking 2025 loss of Dean, her beloved husband of nearly 60 years.

The full extent of the 9 to 5 legend's health crisis remained under wraps until the day after her death, when her representative confirmed she had died following "a brief battle with cancer." The type of disease that claimed the revered music icon's life was not disclosed.

The superstar singer began stepping back from the public eye in September 2025, when she postponed a six-night Las Vegas residency in December of that year, telling fans she was dealing with "some health challenges, and my doctors tell me that I must have a few procedures."

Fans' worst fears deepened in May when the Coat of Many Colors singer delivered another devastating blow, announcing she was scrapping her residency altogether as her ongoing health struggles continued to keep her offstage.

But Parton reassured worried fans, "The good news is I’m responding really well to meds and treatments, and I’m improving every day."

"Now, the bad news is, it’s gonna take me a little while before I’m up to stage performance level. Because some of the meds and treatments make me a little bit swimmy-headed, as my grandma used to say. And of course, I can’t be dizzy carrying around banjos, guitars, and such on five-inch heels."

Parton added, "I'm doing really well, and doctors assure me that everything I have is treatable, so I’m going with that."