In 2011, Billy Joel was working on an autobiography with ghostwriter Fred Schruers as part of a deal with Harper Collins, but Joel backed out prior to the release of the book and it never saw the light of day.

Now, Schruers is releasing a biography based on his first-hand experiences with Joel and, reportedly, has the singer’s blessing.

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A statement issued by Billy Joel’s publicist reads, “Fred Schruers is free to write whatever kind of book he wants based on the first-hand information he gathered during the time he spent with me.”

The new book will be published by Crown, a division of Random House, and the manuscript is said to be due by spring 2014.