In recent months, Britney Spears has shared a lot on social media.

But we know that it’s only a drop in the bucket compared to all that Britney has endured.

Britney landed a colossal $15 million book deal to tell her full story.

Unfortunately, that book has been delayed. It’s not her fault … but it’s going to be hard for her fans.

Sometimes, authors and publishers have to delay a book because they haven’t finished it yet. It happens.

That is not the case this time. Britney finished her first-ever memoir.

Britney wrote up about her childhood, career, and conservatorship. But publishing is complex, and filled with potential roadblocks.

TMZ reports that Simon & Schuster is struggling to find a release date for a very practical reason.

Simply put, there is a paper shortage right now (just one of various supply chain issues).

The original release date was January 2023. Right now, that date does not appear feasible.

So many of us use e-readers, from our books to dedicated readers to tablets to desktop computers.

It can be easy to forget that publishing hard copies of books is still essential to the publishing industry.

Unable to print physical books in sufficient quantities, even a publishing behemoth would rather postpone the release date.

Not everyone likes reading on a screen.

Even among those who do, a physical book is better as a gift — and better to display.

Like the singer herself, Britney Spears’ long-awaited memoir deserves its time in the sun. A delay is entirely appropriate.

Right now, there have been numerous supply chain issues, exacerbating inflation raising alarm.

The causes have been complex.

One cannot ignore, for example, that more than one million Americans died of COVID-19 in just two years.

But there is more to this shortage than a lack of available workers in some industries.

In fact, when it comes to the paper shortage, very specifically, the cause is actually kind of positive.

See, so many people ordered books since the pandemic began that the industry is struggling to keep up.

Additionally, countless workers across the nation decided that enough was enough. Poor working conditions and low pay … that’s a raw deal.

Many have unionized. Many others have simply quit. The paper manufacturing industry was not immune.

Right now, we don’t know when the paper shortage will end. No one does.

Britney’s book deal remains secure however.

She landed a reported $15 million advance — after an alleged bidding war within the publishing industry.

It’s not the largest book deal in history, but it’s very high in the rankings. We can’t wait to read it! But we will. We will wait.