The major deal for Live to Tell: My Life as Madonna's Nanny, by Melissa Dumas, has been canceled by Crown, Publishers Marketplace reported yesterday.

The company said "it will not be publishing the memoir to be authored by Madonna's former nanny, Melissa Dumas. The rights to the book have been released to the author, who is represented by [Sharlene Martin of] Martin Literary Management."

"I deeply regret that Crown Publishing decided not to move forward in publishing Melissa Dumas' book," Martin told The Book Standard. "I had a wonderful experience with them with a previous nanny tome, You'll Never Nanny in This Town Again, and had hoped to repeat that experience."

According to Britain's The Mirror, "Madonna, predictably enough, has risen from the lotus position to turn the full force of her legal team against rogue nanny Melissa Dumas in an attempt to silence her."

Sharlene L. Martin of Martin Literary Management confirms that the memoir's author, Melissa Dumas, has sent an 80-page proposal to a group of book publishers for consideration. EW.com has seen the document, which proposes a book that will reveal intimate information gleaned from Dumas' service as Madonna's nanny. Sample chapters and chapter summaries provide a laundry list of alleged details pertaining to Madonna's marriage to Ritchie, their children's behavior, the family's participation in Kabbalah, and the motivation behind Madonna's decision to adopt a boy from Malawi. The pitch also contains personal photos of Madonna's family, as well as photos of Dumas playing with Madonna's kids.

The proposal includes a copy of an unsigned nondisclosure agreement that the author claims Madonna issued to her only after she had already resigned as her nanny. A representative for Madonna offered no comment.

Speculation within the publishing industry is that rights to the book have been purchased by The Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House. Martin sold Suzanne Hansen's You'll Never Nanny in This Town Again, another former nanny's account of her brush with celebrities, to Crown in 2004. Representatives from Crown did not respond to requests for comment. Martin would not confirm that the proposal had been sold, nor would she provide any details about the book, which is being kept under very tight wraps.