Susan Lucci's (Erica Kane) revealing New York Times bestselling memoir, All My Life, will be released in paperback next month -- and the book has been updated to include a new chapter about All My Children's cancellation.

Erica Kane's life has been an open book -- quite literally. The fictional character has penned four books: Raising Kane, Erica Kane: Beyond the Pain, Having It All, and Uncensored. Having It All was released as a real-life book for fans to buy. Despite her star power, Lucci has remained a very private person.

For nearly 20 years, publishers have been clamoring to convince Lucci to write her life story. The actress brushed off the requests, saying that writing a memoir wasn't something that she thought was in her. That, and she didn't have a whole lot of free time to write down her thoughts. That all changed in early 2010 when Lucci's son, Andreas, told her that he thought she should write a memoir. Lucci's husband, Helmut Huber, also added his voice to the growing roar that Lucci needed to share the story of her life.

"Everyone agreed that virtually anyone with a television set knows Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, but no one really knows much about Susan Lucci," Lucci explained.

And that's true -- to a point. Many are surprised to know that despite her alter ego's many romantic dalliances, Lucci has been married to one man for longer than she's appeared as Erica Kane. Soap fans also know that Lucci's daughter, Liza Huber, appeared on the NBC soap Passions. And who hasn't heard of Lucci's seemingly endless streak of Emmy nominations and her long overdue win in 1999?

Obviously, there is much more to Lucci's life than her Emmy saga. All My Life offers a very candid look at Lucci's life, complete with all of the bumps in the road that Lucci had managed to keep quiet for so many years. Lucci calls the decision to pull back the curtain "a little bit scary and a lot intimidating."

When you're one of the most recognizable women in television history, it would be easy to hold up your own life experience as the one that everyone else should aspire to. All My Life never comes across preachy or self-indulgent. In fact, the memoir is about as close to sitting down for tea with Lucci at the Valley Inn as you can get; it's conversational, insightful, and gracious -- exactly what you'd want from a television icon.

Daytime drama is one thing, but when real-life drama hits, it's something that tests one's fortitude. Among the heavier topics Lucci discusses are the car accident that nearly took away her career and her eyesight, and her newborn son's life-threatening illness. Lucci also flashes a wicked sense of humor that fans may not know she possesses when she takes aim at a member of a reality show that shares the same name as her beloved grandmother's dog.

All My Life was finished before it was announced that ABC had canceled All My Children. In fact, the specter of cancellation hung over Lucci's initial book tour. Instead of discussing the book, media outlets and fans wanted to know if the rumors were true. Lucci had, time and time again, deflected the rumors. In a new chapter written exclusively for the paperback release, Lucci explains that she was given every indication that there was no truth the rumors of AMC's impending demise.

In what may be one of the biggest shockers in the history of daytime television, Lucci drops a bombshell about how All My Children creator Agnes Nixon was informed of ABC's decision to cancel All My Children and One Life to Live. She also reveals what took place in her private meeting with ABC Daytime head Brian Frons.

"Brian Frons has what, for me, is that fatal combination of ignorance and arrogance," Lucci writes, noting that she had a "very emotional response" to the news in the privacy of her own dressing room.

Lucci labeled Frons as "self-congratulatory" as he broke the news to the AMC and One Life to Live cast and crews that they were being let to to pave the way for lifestyle programming. Lucci also dishes a subsequent phone call she had with ABC/Disney chief Anne Sweeney -- and the stunning voicemail message Lucci wanted to leave on ABC's caller hotline.

"We have all the respect in the world for Susan, and are sorry she felt the need to write this epilogue to an otherwise incredible career," ABC said in a statement.

All My Life's paperback release date is September 13, which just so happens to be another important day: Susan Lucci and Helmut Huber's 42nd wedding anniversary.