Source: Associated Press, Press Association with additional material

George Michael on tour photo via Manchester evening news

The memoir is scheduled for release in the fall of 2009.

Publishers said the deal is "one of the biggest ever concluded in UK publishing", but would not divulge figures. An unidentified source tells Associated Press that the deal was worth at least $6 million for British rights alone, among the biggest publishing contracts ever for that market, and at least $7 million overall.

HarperCollins says the book, currently untitled, will be an "access all areas" story, with the 44-year-old Michael writing extensively about his professional and personal life.

The book, dubbed "one of the hottest remaining untold celebrity memoirs", will cover the pop star's personal and professional life and will hit the shelves in autumn next year.

Michael's manager, Andy Stephens, said that Michael will reveal all in the book that he's writing himself. 

"People aren't stupid," Stephens said, "they're beginning to notice that the truth is more interesting than the stories the press come up with."

Michael, whose many hits include "Careless Whisper," "Faith" and "Father Figure," has had several run-ins with the law, on charges ranging from drug possession to lewd conduct. Elton John, with whom Michael has performed on stage, has spoken of a "deep-rooted unhappiness" in the singer's life.

The Wikipedia biographical entry for Michael, lists some of the highlights of his personal life that have made Michael tabloid fodder throughout his long pop career:

Michael was initially private about his sexual orientation, with rumours of relationships with high-profile women such as Brooke Shields, Whoopi Goldberg, and Melissa Megginson making him common tabloid fodder during his Wham! career.

These persisted into his solo career, but Michael had already established a relationship with Anselmo Feleppa, whom he had met at the 1991 concert "Rock in Rio". Feleppa died of an AIDS-related brain hemorrhage in 1993. Michael's single "Jesus to a Child" is a tribute to Feleppa (he consistently dedicates it to him before performing it live), as is his 1996 album Older.

Questions of his sexual orientation persisted in public, until April 7, 1998, when he was arrested for "engaging in a lewd act" in a public toilet in a park in Beverly Hills, California. He was arrested by an undercover policeman named Marcelo Rodriguez, a sting operation using so-called "pretty police"....

After that incident he became open about his homosexuality and his relationship with Kenny Goss, a former cheerleader coach and sports clothing executive from Dallas, Texas, and his partner since June 1996. Goss opened the Goss Gallery in May 2005 in Dallas, which shows contemporary art including those collected by the couple. They have homes in London and Dallas.

In late November 2005 it was reported that Michael and Goss would register their relationship as a civil partnership in the UK, but due to negative publicity and his upcoming tour, they have postponed it to a later date.

In a 2007 interview, Michael said that he kept his homosexuality secret due to worries over the impact that knowing would have on his mother.

Belinda Budge, managing director and publisher of Harper NonFiction UK called the deal "an incredibly exciting publishing event."

"Most importantly," Budge said, "this really will be a truly authentic book."

The deal comes after Michael's greatest hits tour celebrating more than 20 years in pop.

Full article: The Associated Press: George Michael Signs Big Book Deal
George Michael tells all in memoirs | The Press Association