It’s the smile of an ecstatic young woman whose fortunes have dramatically turned from facing decades in an Italian prison to enjoying the prospect of a bumper $4million payday. Amanda Knox, 24, of Seattle, Washington, spent four years in jail in Perugia for allegedly murdering British student Meredith Kercher, 21, before she was sensationally released on appeal last October. Now she has been pictured out with her guitarist boyfriend James Terrano, also 24, going for lunch to celebrate signing a $4million book deal with HarperCollins on Thursday to tell her dramatic story. All smiles: Amanda Knox, 24,  was pictured in Seattle, Washington, with her guitarist boyfriend James Terrano, also 24, going for lunch to celebrate signing a $4million book deal with HarperCollins on Thursday . Should Amanda Knox be allowed to make money out of her story? Should Amanda Knox be allowed to make money out of her story? Now share your opinion . Knox now needs to consider how she will spend her new fortune, and was also seen earlier in the day with her room-mate Madison Paxton, 24, taking a box of belongings to a Seattle Salvation Army store. She was seen shopping at a Salvation Army store in her hometown for Christmas presents last year, before the extraordinary battle this month between 20 publishers for her signature had got going. Knox has not publicly discussed her ordeal beyond a brief expression of gratitude upon her release last October. But her untitled book has been tentatively scheduled for release in early 2013. ‘Knox will give a full and unflinching account of the events that led to her arrest in Perugia and her struggles with the complexities of the Italian judicial system,’ a HarperCollins spokesman said. ‘Aided by journals she kept during her imprisonment, Knox will talk about her harrowing experience at the hands of the Italian police and later prison guards and inmates,’ he added. Donations: Knox now needs to consider how she will spend her new fortune, and was seen earlier on Thursday with her room-mate Madison Paxton, 24, taking a box of belongings to Seattle Salvation Army store . ‘She will reveal never before-told details surrounding her case, and describe how she used her inner strength and strong family ties to cope with the most challenging time of her young life.’ 'It will be the story of a crime and a trial, but also a moving account of a young woman's struggle to cope with a nightmarish ordeal that placed her at the centre of a media storm' Jonathan Burnham, HarperCollins . Knox was represented by lawyer Robert Barnett, whose other clients include President Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush.  She met with seven of the 20 interested publishers, all of whom submitted bids. HarperCollins publisher Jonathan Burnham said the book will give Knox a chance to explain what happened through her eyes and ‘an opportunity to tell the story in full detail, for the first time’. ‘It will be the story of a crime and a trial, but also a moving account of a young woman's struggle to cope with a nightmarish ordeal that placed her at the centre of a media storm,’ Mr Burnham said. Mr Burnham said that Knox, who studied creative writing, would work with a collaborator and that her book will cover her life in Perugia leading up to the murder of Miss Kercher. Couple: Amanda Knox, pictured with boyfriend James Terrano, has not publicly discussed her ordeal beyond a brief expression of gratitude upon her release last October . Knox's editor will be Claire Wachtel, whose other authors have included crime novelist Dennis Lehane, journalist Cokie Roberts and U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas. 'Claire Wachtel has a great track record of working with high-profile figures. She's a very sensitive, responsive editor who I think can work with someone like Amanda' Jonathan Burnham, HarperCollins . ‘Claire has a great track record of . working with high-profile figures,’ Mr Burnham said. ‘She's a very sensitive, . responsive editor who I think can work with someone like Amanda, who's . new to the experience.’ But it’s not easy to sell books about controversial defendants. O.J. Simpson's ‘If I Did It’ - a fictionalised account of Nicole Brown Simpson's murder - was cancelled by HarperCollins in 2006. Publishers have also shied away from Florida mother Casey Anthony, cleared of murdering her daughter last year. But Mr Burnham said he was deeply impressed by Knox when he met with her. ‘This is a very mature, intelligent woman who has been through an extraordinary experience,’ Mr Burnham said. ‘She'll write a very thoughtful, reflective and serious book about what happened.' Hugs: Earlier this week, Italian prosecutors asked the country's highest criminal court to reinstate the murder convictions of Amanda Knox, pictured with James Terrano . Judge Claudio Pratillo Hellman, the Italian appeals court judge who freed Knox, broadly criticised the investigation and conviction of Knox in a 143-page document released last December. 'This is a very mature, intelligent woman who has been through an extraordinary experience. She'll write a very thoughtful, reflective and serious book about what happened' Jonathan Burnham, HarperCollins . Judge Hellman wrote that she had been pressed to make statements against her own interest and strongly questioned the reliability of a pair of key witnesses. But Knox's legal issues are not over. Earlier this week, Italian prosecutors asked the country's highest criminal court to reinstate the murder convictions of Knox and her former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito. Sollecito, who had reportedly been considering seeing Knox at Christmas, has since been pictured kissing and cuddling Annie Achille - an Italian volleyball player who is also his distant cousin. Prosecutor Giovanni Galati said he is ‘very convinced’ that Sollecito and Knox were responsible for the November, 2007, stabbing death of Miss Kercher, who shared an apartment with her in Perugia. Altogether now: James Terrano, Amanda Knox and Madison Paxton were pictured in Seattle on Thursday . The appeals court in October said the guilty verdicts against the pair were not corroborated by any evidence, and that the court hadn't proven they were in the house when Miss Kercher was killed. 'Aided by journals she kept during her imprisonment, Knox will talk about her harrowing experience at the hands of the Italian police and later prison guards and inmates' HarperCollins spokesman . A third defendant, Ivory Coast-born Rudy Guede, was convicted in another trial of sexually assaulting and stabbing Miss Kercher. His 16-year sentence was upheld by Italy's highest court in 2010. Meanwhile, a lawyer for Knox recently filed an appeal of her upheld slander conviction in Italy, for falsely accusing bar owner Diya ‘Patrick’ Lumumba of involvement in the slaying. Lumumba was freed after two weeks in prison for lack of evidence. But Knox later said she was ‘manipulated’ during her lengthy police interrogation. An Italian judge set Knox's sentence for . slander at three years, less than the time she spent in prison. That . meant she could leave Italy and return to Seattle, which she did to . great public debate. Also involved: Knox's ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, left, and her alleged victim Meredith Kercher, right . CHARLIE WOLF says: . No kid deserves to go through that no . matter how young and stupid they may have acted. Why shouldn't she profit from it if people want to read it? Read more here . The huge book deal will be respite for her family who spent more than $1million in legal, travel and living costs to be near her during the murder trial in Italy - and even more on her appeal. Knox's parents, Edda Mellas and Curt Knox, who divorced when she was aged two, have put on a united front and took out second mortgages. But the deal will distress Miss Kercher’s family. The company should be able to recoup some of its investment by selling TV interview rights on the back of the book. Broadcasters cannot pay for interviews but can buy rights to the book instead. The value of her story has been compared to that of Jaycee Dugard, who was kidnapped and held captive for almost two decades. She had a book published last July that has sold 1.2million copies.
Amanda Knox, 24, signed major HarperCollins book deal on Thursday .
Seen out for lunch in hometown Seattle with boyfriend James Terrano .
Also pictured walking to Salvation Army with room-mate Madison Paxton .
It’s the smile of an ecstatic young woman whose fortunes have dramatically turned from facing decades in an Italian prison to enjoying the prospect of a bumper $4million payday. Amanda Knox, 24, of Seattle, Washington, spent four years in jail in Perugia for allegedly murdering British student Meredith Kercher, 21, before she was sensationally released on appeal last October. Now she has been pictured out with her guitarist boyfriend James Terrano, also 24, going for lunch to celebrate signing a $4million book deal with HarperCollins on Thursday to tell her dramatic story. All smiles: Amanda Knox, 24,  was pictured in Seattle, Washington, with her guitarist boyfriend James Terrano, also 24, going for lunch to celebrate signing a $4million book deal with HarperCollins on Thursday . Should Amanda Knox be allowed to make money out of her story? Should Amanda Knox be allowed to make money out of her story? Now share your opinion . Knox now needs to consider how she will spend her new fortune, and was also seen earlier in the day with her room-mate Madison Paxton, 24, taking a box of belongings to a Seattle Salvation Army store. She was seen shopping at a Salvation Army store in her hometown for Christmas presents last year, before the extraordinary battle this month between 20 publishers for her signature had got going. Knox has not publicly discussed her ordeal beyond a brief expression of gratitude upon her release last October. But her untitled book has been tentatively scheduled for release in early 2013. ‘Knox will give a full and unflinching account of the events that led to her arrest in Perugia and her struggles with the complexities of the Italian judicial system,’ a HarperCollins spokesman said. ‘Aided by journals she kept during her imprisonment, Knox will talk about her harrowing experience at the hands of the Italian police and later prison guards and inmates,’ he added. Donations: Knox now needs to consider how she will spend her new fortune, and was seen earlier on Thursday with her room-mate Madison Paxton, 24, taking a box of belongings to Seattle Salvation Army store . ‘She will reveal never before-told details surrounding her case, and describe how she used her inner strength and strong family ties to cope with the most challenging time of her young life.’ 'It will be the story of a crime and a trial, but also a moving account of a young woman's struggle to cope with a nightmarish ordeal that placed her at the centre of a media storm' Jonathan Burnham, HarperCollins . Knox was represented by lawyer Robert Barnett, whose other clients include President Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush.  She met with seven of the 20 interested publishers, all of whom submitted bids. HarperCollins publisher Jonathan Burnham said the book will give Knox a chance to explain what happened through her eyes and ‘an opportunity to tell the story in full detail, for the first time’. ‘It will be the story of a crime and a trial, but also a moving account of a young woman's struggle to cope with a nightmarish ordeal that placed her at the centre of a media storm,’ Mr Burnham said. Mr Burnham said that Knox, who studied creative writing, would work with a collaborator and that her book will cover her life in Perugia leading up to the murder of Miss Kercher. Couple: Amanda Knox, pictured with boyfriend James Terrano, has not publicly discussed her ordeal beyond a brief expression of gratitude upon her release last October . Knox's editor will be Claire Wachtel, whose other authors have included crime novelist Dennis Lehane, journalist Cokie Roberts and U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas. 'Claire Wachtel has a great track record of working with high-profile figures. She's a very sensitive, responsive editor who I think can work with someone like Amanda' Jonathan Burnham, HarperCollins . ‘Claire has a great track record of . working with high-profile figures,’ Mr Burnham said. ‘She's a very sensitive, . responsive editor who I think can work with someone like Amanda, who's . new to the experience.’ But it’s not easy to sell books about controversial defendants. O.J. Simpson's ‘If I Did It’ - a fictionalised account of Nicole Brown Simpson's murder - was cancelled by HarperCollins in 2006. Publishers have also shied away from Florida mother Casey Anthony, cleared of murdering her daughter last year. But Mr Burnham said he was deeply impressed by Knox when he met with her. ‘This is a very mature, intelligent woman who has been through an extraordinary experience,’ Mr Burnham said. ‘She'll write a very thoughtful, reflective and serious book about what happened.' Hugs: Earlier this week, Italian prosecutors asked the country's highest criminal court to reinstate the murder convictions of Amanda Knox, pictured with James Terrano . Judge Claudio Pratillo Hellman, the Italian appeals court judge who freed Knox, broadly criticised the investigation and conviction of Knox in a 143-page document released last December. 'This is a very mature, intelligent woman who has been through an extraordinary experience. She'll write a very thoughtful, reflective and serious book about what happened' Jonathan Burnham, HarperCollins . Judge Hellman wrote that she had been pressed to make statements against her own interest and strongly questioned the reliability of a pair of key witnesses. But Knox's legal issues are not over. Earlier this week, Italian prosecutors asked the country's highest criminal court to reinstate the murder convictions of Knox and her former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito. Sollecito, who had reportedly been considering seeing Knox at Christmas, has since been pictured kissing and cuddling Annie Achille - an Italian volleyball player who is also his distant cousin. Prosecutor Giovanni Galati said he is ‘very convinced’ that Sollecito and Knox were responsible for the November, 2007, stabbing death of Miss Kercher, who shared an apartment with her in Perugia. Altogether now: James Terrano, Amanda Knox and Madison Paxton were pictured in Seattle on Thursday . The appeals court in October said the guilty verdicts against the pair were not corroborated by any evidence, and that the court hadn't proven they were in the house when Miss Kercher was killed. 'Aided by journals she kept during her imprisonment, Knox will talk about her harrowing experience at the hands of the Italian police and later prison guards and inmates' HarperCollins spokesman . A third defendant, Ivory Coast-born Rudy Guede, was convicted in another trial of sexually assaulting and stabbing Miss Kercher. His 16-year sentence was upheld by Italy's highest court in 2010. Meanwhile, a lawyer for Knox recently filed an appeal of her upheld slander conviction in Italy, for falsely accusing bar owner Diya ‘Patrick’ Lumumba of involvement in the slaying. Lumumba was freed after two weeks in prison for lack of evidence. But Knox later said she was ‘manipulated’ during her lengthy police interrogation. An Italian judge set Knox's sentence for . slander at three years, less than the time she spent in prison. That . meant she could leave Italy and return to Seattle, which she did to . great public debate. Also involved: Knox's ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, left, and her alleged victim Meredith Kercher, right . CHARLIE WOLF says: . No kid deserves to go through that no . matter how young and stupid they may have acted. Why shouldn't she profit from it if people want to read it? Read more here . The huge book deal will be respite for her family who spent more than $1million in legal, travel and living costs to be near her during the murder trial in Italy - and even more on her appeal. Knox's parents, Edda Mellas and Curt Knox, who divorced when she was aged two, have put on a united front and took out second mortgages. But the deal will distress Miss Kercher’s family. The company should be able to recoup some of its investment by selling TV interview rights on the back of the book. Broadcasters cannot pay for interviews but can buy rights to the book instead. The value of her story has been compared to that of Jaycee Dugard, who was kidnapped and held captive for almost two decades. She had a book published last July that has sold 1.2million copies.
for lunch to celebrate signing a $4million book deal with HarperCollins on Thursday . Should with her room-mate Madison Paxton, 24, taking a box of belongings to a Seattle Salvation Army boyfriend James Terrano, has not publicly murder convictions of Amanda Knox, pictured with