Jenner first sought the involvement of theFriday Night Lightsauthor in early fall, several months after theVanity Fairpiece.
Bissinger spoke to EW the afternoon of the publication announcement about his very busy year ahead.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: A memoir seemed like the inevitable next step for Caitlyn.
Credit: Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images; Annie Leibovitz for Vanity Fair
When did you get involved?
BUZZ BISSINGER:I would say sometime in the early fall.
It was several months after theVanity Fairpiece.
We just got along really well with one another and she felt comfortable with me.
Did you expect the call?
Or hope for it?
Was I hoping for the call?
When I got the call, it was a big deliberation on my part.
Its in her voice, as it should be.
Everything has to be on the table.
Do you anticipate this being strictly first-person?
Yes, its going to be first person.
Where do you begin for secondaries?
I cant really outline it until Ive finished the reporting, and I dont know when thatll be.
Its slated for spring of 2017.
If it takes longer, its going to take longer.
Whats the most daunting part ahead?
Its like any book, to create a compelling narrative that people will find worthy of reading.
And I guess the biggest fear is, theres been a lot written about Caitlyn.
I frankly have written most of it.
And is there much more to be written about?
How have you been surprised by the bond youve developed with Caitlyn?
I can honestly say that Caitlyn is one of the most honest people that Ive ever worked with.
That was obviously honored.
And shes also fun to be with.
If youre going to do something like that, the person has to be fun.
One of the big problems with books like this is the subject really is the focus.
Shes a very, very focused person, and shes into this.
Its a portrait about difference.
Thats what I think makes it universal.
What do you make of the importance of this as a moment in time?
You leave a lot on the table, even when you use anecdotes and specificsyou leave a lot out.
This should be a celebration but theres this tendency that everyone has to conform.
What does it mean to be a man?
What does it mean to be a woman?
I dont really know, and I dont really know what the differentiation should be.
To me, Caitlyn is a very inspirational figure.
Shes the first to say shes not a spokesman for the trans community.
She knows thats not her place.
Have you been watchingI Am Cait, or, because of this, purposely avoiding it?
I have watched it.
You make a good point.
I tend to avoid it now.
What I have seen, and I saw most of the first season, I found really admirable.
Are you inspired by any memoirs?
Ive read memoirs… Im approaching this as a book.
It has to be reported out.
What about the price tag?
But pressure is a good thing.
When I feel nervous, Im going to give good work.
I care a lot.
To me, the common denominator is difference.
We all grapple with things.
And it may not be sexual things.
It may not be gender.
But we all grapple.
Portions of this interview have been edited and condensed.
