KEY POINTS:
Anton Oliver's autobiography could make a profit of $300,000 but the All Blacks rugby hooker will not keep a cent.
Oliver does not plan to bank any proceeds from his book, which is expected to sell 40,000-plus copies.
"I'm not making a single cent out of this book. No money's going to me," Oliver said in Cardiff ahead of Saturday's test against Wales.
"What I did profit from was learning a lot more about myself. It was a dedicated time for reflection which I don't think people do a lot of."
It is understood Oliver will donate some or all of the book's profit to Cure Kids, the cancer research organisation based in Queenstown.
Cure Kids chief executive Kaye Parker said she was "not sure" if Oliver was planning to donate money to the organisation, of which he is an ambassador.
"It's not our place to reveal anything like that. It's very much Anton's business," Ms Parker said.
Ms Parker warmly praised Oliver's contribution to Cure Kids over the five years he had been involved.
"Anton's a very special man and he's been a fabulous helper for us.
"He's a delight. Even when he's been rushing around with his rugby, he's always found time to attend our functions or meet some of the kids."
Prominent sports writer Joseph Romanos estimated Oliver's autobiography would sell 40,000-plus copies, to rank alongside any New Zealand sports book.
Authors generally took 10 per cent of the proceeds but in Oliver's case, it might be more like 15 per cent, Romanos said.
At $50 a copy, sales could reach $2 million, with a 15 per cent cut of that equalling $300,000. Oliver would have already paid co-author Brian Turner a fixed fee.
Meanwhile, Oliver said he wasn't prepared for the impact the book would make in New Zealand.
His revelations about the Highlanders season in 2003 and the booze culture in the All Blacks, and his searing assessment of several coaches and former players, prompted plenty of discussion and reaction, and not all of it pleased Oliver and Turner.
"It's great being over here away from it. It got out of hand," Oliver said in Wales.
"I'm quite naive and keep thinking the best of people -- but things got blown way out of context.
"It was always going to happen but I underestimated the whole length of the furore.
"If you read the book and put it in context, it's fine. It's not highly inflammatory."
Hachette Livre, the Auckland company that published Anton Oliver: Inside, was unable to put a figure on how many copies had sold.
- NZPA
