The rumor mill was abuzz when news of Dumas's book first started spreading, even though the former au pair "had very little already on paper…it was very much a work in progress," according to a source for the New York Daily News. Dumas's agent, Sharlene Martin confirmed that a "a strong six-figure pre-emptive sale" was made to Crown Publishing based on an 80-page proposal sent out to several publishers. The book was to be co-written with a ghostwriter and would have been available in stores by September.
So what went wrong? Some are reporting that Madonna's lawyers had gone to Crown to urge them to end the deal. Legal action has not been taken against Dumas as she is believed not to have signed any confidentiality agreements with Madonna and her husband Guy Ritchie during the time she worked for them. The word is that she was not given an agreement to sign until after she resigned from the nanny position.
Madonna's camp is likely worried about the allegations that Dumas would make in the book, which is said to cover the singer's marriage and her decision to adopt her son David from Malawi. Page Six claims that the book also goes into Madonna's strict household rules, which includes the missive that the house must remain silent while the Material Mom tries to sleep. Not a sound must be uttered during this sacred time, "not even running water for showers," says the gossip column's source.
Martin told the Book Standard, "I deeply regret that Crown Publishing decided not to move forward in publishing Melissa Dumas's book. I had a wonderful experience with them with a previous nanny tome, You'll Never Nanny in This Town Again, and had hoped to repeat that experience."