Posted on 06/20/2004 11:46:31 PM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Steve Campbell / Chronicle Employee Michaela Norris works behind a poster promoting former President Clinton's forthcoming book, My Life, Sunday in the office at Borders Books on Kirby and Alabama. The poster will go up before Tuesday's release of Clinton's memoirs.
Political junkies likely will resist the wizard costumes and midnight waiting lines that characterize releases of publishing's favorite character, but they are breathless in their own wonkish way.
At the stroke of 12:01 a.m., former President Clinton's book, My Life, goes on sale. At least in theory.
Local readers apparently will have to wait for normal opening hours, since none of the major Houston bookstores plans to be open at midnight, as many were for the release of books in the Harry Potter series. Copies remained sealed and locked away in store rooms until the designated hour.
"We expect that it will probably be pretty nonstop on Tuesday," said Cullen Graff, marketing manager for Borders bookstores in the Houston area. "We'll be restocking the front table over and over all day, probably."
Clinton has not announced any plans to bring his book tour to Houston, but Graff said he is keeping his fingers crossed for a visit.
The book is predicted to be a political publishing phenomenon, with a first printing of 1.5 million and pre-orders exceeding 2 million, according to the Associated Press.
Clinton's memoirs are expected to outsell those of his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., whose Living History made its own publishing splash last year.
Brazos Bookstore purchased about 200 copies of My Life, a "pretty extraordinary" amount for the small store, said bookseller Michael Smith.
Smith predicted both "Clinton lovers and Clinton haters" will be eager to buy the book, which deals with the Monica Lewinsky scandal and Clinton's impeachment, as well as other aspects of his presidency.
"The thing I'm most interested in is to see how he deals with the Lewinsky-Hillary issues. Any guy who can talk his way out of that situation, I want to hear from," local Republican political consultant Dave Walden said. "People who were Clinton supporters have a personal interest, and people who weren't Clinton supporters, it'll be more prurient."
Conservative talk show host Dan Patrick vowed not to buy the book.
"Bill Clinton needs psychiatric help," Patrick said. "I wouldn't spend 34 cents, much less $34 on this person."
Others predicted that Clinton's biggest critics will still read it, even if they do not admit it.
"I don't think they'll be able to keep their hands off it," said former Houston Mayor Bob Lanier, a Democrat who worked with Clinton when they both held office and considers him a friend.
"I expect it'll be a great book. He has a great political mind," Lanier said.
Former Clinton Cabinet member Henry Cisneros, in Houston for the Texas Democratic Party convention Friday, said he already had a copy on reserve for him, a birthday present from his niece.
"I don't know that I finish it on the first day, but I bet I start," said Cisneros, a former San Antonio mayor.
Other Democrats agreed the book will generate enormous buzz.
"It's going to be all Clinton all the time," said Democratic political consultant Craig Varoga, adding that the hype is unprecedented for a political book. "He broke a lot of records as president. He's probably going to break a lot as a former president."
Chronicle reporter R.G. Ratcliffe contributed to this story.
Bring back book-burning.
Big sales? Even the New York Times gave it a scathing review.
I read that review. It tore the book to shreds.
My prediction...
Clinton won with about 25% of the electorate voting:
(.25)(280X10^6) = 70,000,000 voters.
He took about 43% of the vote in both elections:
(.43)(70X10^6) = 30,100,000 idiots.
Maybe 5% of his core voting block will pay for his blather:
(.05)(30.1X10^6) = 1,505,000
A fair showing at 1.5 million, but it will hardly be a blockbuster. You might see a copy or two in the years to come when you visit a used book store. Then again, they might go the way of the Sears & Roebuck catalogs on the prairie in the last century...
Customers would do better to leave through to the part (MOnica/Hillary "anger") they want to read and then put it back on the table.
Anyone who truly wants to buy this book, believes it will be the LIBERALS answer to the long lines at President Ronald Reagan's funeral ceremonies.
I heard it's already been marked down. We'll be seeing it on remaindered tables for years. I'm sure all in the LIBERAL media will have a copy on their shelf.
I will go to the bookstore and see if "Vincent Foster" is in the index. But I ain't gonna buy it.
leave = leaf
30% off before it's for sale? In a month they'll be giving them away.
If "Republican political consultant Dave Walden" has nothing better to do with his time than peruse "My Life" for insights into Clinton's spin methods, I'd say that whichever Republican candidates he consults for are probably not getting their money's worth from him.
He would do better to study our political heroes, not our villains. Of course, if he only works for RINOs and not Reaganites, perhaps his keen interest in Mr. Clinton's fat turd is more understandable.
Clinton's book puts familiar foe back into conservatives' sight
....Citizens United -- a conservative lobbying group whose president, David Bossie, Clinton writes, helped to foment the Whitewater scandal -- bought advertising time during Clinton's interview to argue that the former president was responsible for failing to prevent the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"Here is what you might miss in Bill Clinton's new book," the ad begins, reciting a list of terrorist attacks abroad during his presidency.
In the build up to the release of My Life, talk radio host Rush Limbaugh, another villain of Clinton's narrative, has begun calling the book "My Lie." And a column in the American Spectator, once the leading journal of Clinton-bashing and another target in his book, pronounced "a long hot Clinton summer is upon us" and derided Clinton's expressions of contrition for his affair with Monica Lewinsky.
"Yes, it's terrible to be caught," the Spectator wrote, "though rather delightful to commit moral error when no one is looking." .....
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/2638189
I bought Cavutos new book More Than Money and Dave Limbaughs persecution
So i cant for the life of me think of a reason why the woman would ask me if i wanted X42's book i guess some just cant handle screwing up !
You set a fine example.
LIBERALS easily state their opinions in public but it's like scalding a cat for them to hear someone else state their opinion.
Good show!
I sure hope it turns up in the used book sales soon. That's where I get my Christmas presents.
Thus far, I've shot holes in Hanoi Jane Fonda, "Commie Dan" Rather, Molly Ivins, Ellen Goodman, and a couple of others, and given them away (my Vietnam vet friends like the Hanoi Jane ones, and Lieberals just HATE seeing Molly with a big hole where her face was) - but I'm just drooling with anticipation at getting copies of Willie and Hitlary's books... (Won't pay more than $1.00 apiece for them though - it already costs $3-$4 in ammo to get them properly "Decorated" for Christmas...)
Won't read it. Probably won't even bother with disecting any passages on National Security, the Chinese campaign contributions, filegate, or other such matters. The man lies under oath, lies on camera, and cries on cue. His words aren't worth a dime.
To any FReepers that want to do opposition research, go to your local library. You already paid taxes that bought this book by the truckload, check it out for free if you are interested.
You must be one of those right wing extremists! LOL
I make it a point in a Border's or other bookstore to ask about Ann Coulter or Sean Hannity...The Border's in Ann arbor had Hillary's book prominantly displayed last year... NO Annn Coulter to be seen. I finally asked about it, and someone went into the back and brought out a copy. I asked , "Why isn't this book displayed with the others?"
The book-minion just shrugged and mumbled at me...
I grinned and left without buying anything. ( Bought Coulter's book later on line but there was no WAY I was going to give the money to THAT store!)
The man is an embarrassment. Anyone fawning over him could be a guest on Jerry Springer.
They can't handle the truth!
Good morning!
You are right, they cannot.
I personally feel it's an exercise in futility to vist ANY Ann Arbor bookstore. I was waiting for someone and killing time.
All these idiots in the media are in an absolute frenzy over this book. You would think this was the lastest big movie hitting the cinemaplexas or some big music star coming to town for a concert. This book will be in the barbain bin in three or four months.
Naaahhh... Whoooo... meEEEEE????
The correct designation is "I'm a Right-wing Christian Patriot Militia Extremist Wacko". (If you practice saying that until you can casually rattle it off at a liberal, you'll be rewarded by watching them turn grayish-green before your very eyes...)
As a regular patron of the NYPL, I can tell you that the number of Clinton books ordered for the library is astounding -- it's the biggest I've seen for a nonfiction book. Yet there are relatively few holds on it, and that hold number will drop from 366 to 95 as soon as the book is released. Also keep in mind that the patrons of the NYPL are pretty liberal, of course, in their book choices. Yet even they aren't all that interested, if the numbers are any indication, in getting to read the Clinton book.
According to a google search, he was chief of staff for the Democratic ex-mayor (and Clinton-lover) Bob Lanier who's quoted above. Some "Republican"!
This is a JOKE, right??? Ok, I'm laughing & laughing & laughing!!!!!
Thanks for the info!
The media are a bunch of braying partisan donkeys.
Bump!
I previously said that Bill Clinton would burn all the oxygen in the air for the next three or four months. I am changing my prediction. If his buzz lasts three weeks, it will be a lot. I actually think after this week ends, the whole story and episode will become Ho-Hum! This dude and his book are toast. The only thing Bill Clinton is going to get out of this book is lots and lots of money. The book will sell to the morons, but it's immediate and lasting impact will be zero! Bank on it!
Commander Impeached.
I believe, IIRC, Rush Limbaugh's first book, "See, I Told You So", sold in excess of 2 million hard cover copies.
I wasn't aware that his minions could even READ!
Kroger is offering it for $21.
Thousands of Bill's books are going to end up stacked alongside thousands of Hillary's books in some dank, windowless warehouse somewhere just so they can lie and say "thousands" have been sold.
I think Bill's book will prove to be a tempest in a teapot. There is a lot of noise right now but overall I'm sure sales will not be what they are hoping. Most of the good stuff has already been leaked out. Only the most hardcore Bill Clinton fan will actually buy the whole book. Who in their right mind has the stomach to read his 300 or so page Valentine to himself. If it stays a best seller my guess would be that the DNC is buying them up. It didn't work with Hillary's book. I doubt it will work with his.
A local grocery chain is advertising it at 40% off as of 6/16. Took an informal net poll and only 25% of those responding were planning on reading it. Yet we have media saturation - seems like all BC all the time.
So is Amazon.com.
Not to defend the store but perhaps liberals rip the dust jackets of books by conservative authors?
www.bookfinder.com allows you to price search old and new books.
1000 pages? Coming from Slick Willy (I hear that is his least favorite nickname), that is a lot of I's, Me's, My's...
weegee wrote:
Not to defend the store but perhaps liberals rip the dust jackets of books by conservative authors?
www.bookfinder.com allows you to price search old and new books.
I wonder how many copies the Chi Coms will be buying...
Brown shirts or black shirts, they exhibit uncivilized anti-social behavior.
"pre-orders exceeding 2 million"
this is scary.
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