7-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky is releasing a new memoir, Just Add Water, on June 11th, four days before the start of the US Olympic Trials.
Published by Simon & Schuster, the book is edited by Emily Simonson, who has worked on projects including Fathoms by Rebecca Giggs, winner of the 2021 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction.
From the publisher:
“This candid and inspiring memoir charts Ledecky’s life in swimming. It details her start in Bethesda, Maryland, where she played sharks and minnows and first discovered the joy of the pool; her early foray into the Olympics at the tender age of fifteen where, as the youngest member of the American team, she stunned everyone by winning her first gold medal; her time balancing competition and her education at Stanford University; how she developed a champion’s mindset that has allowed her to persevere through so many meets, even under intense pressure; and how she has maintained her dominance in a sport where success depends on milliseconds. You learn how every element of her life—from the support of her family to the tutelage of her coaches, from her childhood spent in summer league swimming to the bright lights of Olympic pools in London, Rio, and Tokyo—set her up to become the champion she is.”
Ledecky says that she dug back into all of her old journals for stories and insights into the book, including those in the lead-up to her breakout at the 2012 Olympic Games.
I never imagined I would make it to the Olympics, or be at this level, or write a book about this unlikely career that I’ve had. I first started keeping a journal when I was 14 years old, to document my training in the lead-up to the 2012 London Olympics. Paging through them last year, I realized these journals included elements of my wider story in swimming. I also wanted to be able to show that I wouldn’t be where I am without the love, support, and encouragement of people who have influenced me. I’ve really enjoyed the ride, this journey, and I hope readers will, too.
Ledecky, 26, has had a big week of endorsements in the buildup to the Olympic Games, also announcing a five-year deal with sportswear brand Athleta as her official dryland partner.
Ledecky is a seven-time Olympic gold medalist, three-time Olympic silver-medalist, and 21-time World Champion in swimming. She is currently training out of the pro group at the University of Florida.
I wonder if it will be as good as Ervin’s book
Yay! I’m so excited! I will definitely order!
She should of waited until Pairs is over to release book surely alot of interesting stories will be there from the Olympics
There aren’t going to be any interesting stories.
Here’s how these books work:
Katie gives the ghostwriter her journals, answers some question. Ghostwriter writes it, Katie and her team do a PR sweep on it to make sure it doesn’t include anything she wants included/aligns with brand. Release it before she goes to the Olympics and loses.
Whether she wins or loses you use it to sell the book. If you release it after she loses, people expect her to write about the losing, which she’s never going to do.
It’s 1000% a marketing game. It has nothing to do with writing or the stories. You’re selling based on the brand name of Ledecky.
Signed
-A guy who “wrote… Read more »
Imagine waking up and being this angry every day. Ouch.
When Hunter writes his book, “Doing It Magically On My Back,” the front cover’s tag line will also read “World Champion and Olympic Gold Medallist.”
No way this coincides with a “This is going to be my last season swimming” announcement, Right?
RIGHT?!?!?
She’s been pretty open about her plan/desire to swim through Los Angeles 2028.
IDK the Athleta deal being 5 years seems to imply through LA.
Not that Athleta wouldn’t have value to a retired swimmer, but there’s less value for sure.
Cool! Should be an interesting read. With so much content these days being digital (youtube, podcasts, Netflix docs) it’s nice to see something out there that takes a bit longer to consume.
So smart to release around Trials for the buzz and excitement. And the title is very clever; in fact I’m shocked there hasn’t been a swim memoir with that title yet!
Is it going to be one of those “I worked really hard and I won” memoirs, or is she going to spill some tea and pull back the veneer a little bit? I think we know less about Katie Ledecky outside the pool than pretty much any elite swimmer at her level. Her social media is all swimming and sponcon (Panasonic, TYR, Athleta, La Croix) interspersed with visits with her brother. I’ll be interested to see if her book unveils anything we didn’t already know.
I would guess the latter. Spilling tea isn’t really her brand.
I appreciate that Ledecky has maintained such a professional social media presence, and respect her commitment to maintaining a line between her public profile and keeping her own life private. Given how hard she has now worked to stay at the pinnacle of her sport for over a decade now, I think it’s healthy to maintain this division. Sure, the public love athletes to share “everything” but even that “everything” is carefully curated.
I was thinking that, too. Mostly because I started thinking about what would be in the book and I don’t think I know a single thing about her outside of “swim real good.”
(Not that I’m the type of person that looks for those things, mind you, so maybe that’s on me.)