Posted on 08/17/2005 6:26:53 AM PDT by OESY
It is the ultimate Washington story, told by the ultimate Washington chronicler. But in Washington and just about everywhere else, sales of "The Secret Man," Bob Woodward's story of the source known as Deep Throat, have been underwhelming.
At Politics and Prose, a well-known independent bookstore in Washington, sales were "not very good, compared to expectations," said Mark LaFramboise, who ordered 400 copies of the book for the store. As of last week, Politics and Prose had sold "60-something," he said.
"I expected it to be a blockbuster," he said. "I was wrong."
At Prairie Lights Books in Iowa City, "the book didn't sell at all," said Jim Harris, the store's owner. Of the 50 copies he ordered, Mr. Harris said, only 4 have sold, and he has sent 40 back to the distributor.
"I was flabbergasted," he said.
By most measures, the performance of "The Secret Man" would be an unquestioned success. The book, Mr. Woodward's account of his relationship with the source who helped him and Carl Bernstein break open the Watergate scandal in the early 1970's, has sold 61,000 copies in its first five weeks on sale, according to Nielsen BookScan, which tracks sales in bookstores and other outlets that usually account for about 70 percent of a new book's sales.
The book has also been on the New York Times best-seller list for five weeks, starting at No. 4 and ranking No. 12 on the list to be published Sunday, reflecting sales in the week ended Aug. 6....
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Geez , I am dissappointed, I thought this was a Linda Lovelace memoir.
Bob, it's because noone but the media elite and ancient DC insiders cares about this stupid story at all!
yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn
I get the feeling that the libs and dems had this idea that people still vilified Nixon, and that that hatred would drive them to buy the book.
Deep what??????
Who cares?
Martin, Schadenfreude ping time!
Boazo, can you make this guy look a little happier? Or sappier?
Because no one CARES about it: the bulk of Americans, I think, believe this is a NON-STORY. Oh, sure, the academic types get themselves frothed up over this crap, but most of the world has moved on.
Remember, these are the same people who were absolutely blown away by the Reagan funeral's unprecedented response across the nation. Reagan was evil in their minds. So was Nixon. Someone needs to get these people out of their delusional seventies myopia before they're totally irrelevant. Oops-it's already happened.
There was so much press after Deep Throat revealed himself that no one needs to read Woodward's account.
Mark LaFramboise made the mistake of believing the relentless NBC/MSNBC/CNN salivating, Woodward adoring, book hype. Poor baby, Mark didn't take into account how things have changed in the book buying world since Watergate.
People are no longer at the mercy of the MSM, we got ourselves a fair and balanced media world now, we got the internet, we got talk radio. WAHOOOOO!
If he'd said that Rove was Deep Throat, he'd have a media sensation.
Reminds me of the old quote (from Pauline Kael?) "How in the world did Nixon get elected? I don't know a single person who voted for him!"
Most Americans don't think like the Elites on the Coasts. The only people who don't realize that are the Elites on the Coasts.
Well, we know the beginning, middle and end before the book was even published, so why read it, other than see Woodward primp?
After Woodard unburied Felt as Deep Throat, the majority of the SANE American population did give a fart! The hardcore Left wing nuts really believed Woodard's book would go through the roof in sales, instead what went through the roof was a huge BACKLASH! Americans don't take kindly to traitors!! The mystery of DT fell flat. There's yet GREAT hope for America....GOD BLESS the USA!
The book has also been on the New York Times best-seller list for five weeks, starting at No. 4 and ranking No. 12 on the list to be published Sunday, reflecting sales in the week ended Aug. 6....
Hmm?
oops...DIDN'T give a fart..instead of did...having a senior moment this morn...ugh..:)
I would venture to guess that at least 75% of the people living in the U.S. today couldn't even correctly identify the decade in which this story unfolded.
And if you think that's cynical, just realize this . . . within a couple of decades, a substantial number of people aren't even going to remember what year the date "9/11" refers to.
The libs and dems are still living in the 60s. They think Deep Throat is a current story. They think Nixon is still in the White House? They think hippies are still a current item. Liberalism IS a mental disease -- totally out of touch with reality.
Didn't even outsell the porn video of the same name. The market has spoken. Regretable but there it is.
One trick pony memo: the pony died.
Good points.
The old fart sold his soul and didn't get much in return. Hope this makes his Jane Fonda look alike daughter happy.
You nailed it pal. Tempest in a tea pot. No one cares.
You are absolutely right! No one that matters give one hoot about this BS, other the the liberal Democrat vermin. They and the MSM are headed for the toilet of obscurity, and the buttheads can't even recognize it!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
gasp
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
...best seller??? Yawnnnnnnnnn.....
"There was so much press after Deep Throat revealed himself that no one needs to read Woodward's account."
And we can only hope that the liberals/Dems will continue their 20th century rhetoric to highlight their "out in left field" mentality. It's becoming quite amusing.
Well said!
And the left would be demanding that he be prosecuted for revealing government information.
Ping.
Thanks. What's truly amazing these days is just how short our attention spans have become in this age of "big media business." Stories don't last more than a few days or weeks at a time, unless they involve some ongoing court case (Michael Jackson, Terry Schiavo, etc.) or an ongoing saga during the month of August when Washington D.C. is empty (Cindy Sheehan).
You think Woodward really cares? He received a $4 mil advance. That's at least a good week-end in Vegas.
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
"so much press after Deep Throat revealed himself that no one needs to read Woodward's account"/
----you have absolutely nailed it. The Watergate story
AS IT WAS HAPPENING over 30 years ago, made at the very least for compelling reading in "real-time" as it was unfolding, though even then it looked like a set-up job by a media that hated Nixon---the story was SO overdone even in its own day----Nixon was the new McCarthy, responsible for the entire American civilization losing its innocence. How many times have we heard over the last 30 years that "nothing was ever the same after Watergate" as far as the public consciousness of corruption and trust in its own leadership in Washington?". There are all these media-created milestone moments in modern American history that by now ought to make us laugh out loud. Of course the Clinton Administration produced EIGHT SOLID YEARS of "Watergates", but the media didn't seem to notice.
If this has stayed a secret until the book went on the market or if DP has turned out to be somebody more startling, it probably would have sold better. Still, I was surprised it was even on the bestseller list.
Financially, I wouldn't think it would matter to Woodward. He's made his boatload.
LOL. Nothing funnier to me than a bunch of old news jockeys sitting around bragging about their glory days. Funnier still that nobody cares.
Note to them: Before you start going around happily pointing out the President's approval ratings....I suggest you take a gander at your own.
The MSM's liberal bias is now well known. We can thank bloggers and forums like ours for that.
The NYTimes best seller list is their own. Borders has their own, as does B&N. Wonder where the statistics come from.
I believe that's an advance against sales. If he doesn't sell enough books to earn the $4 million advance, doesn't he have to refund the difference?
It was a trivial story the whole time. History is cruel but quite accurate.
Bob Woodward answered the phone when top FBI agents called who wanted to take down a President. Felt had the power of the top investigative organization in the world. Woodward played stenographer for a creep. It's not impressive. Maybe criminal. Certainly nothing to be proud of...
Woodward played stenographer for a creep.
It's not impressive reporting. Maybe criminal. Certainly nothing to be proud of... The people are picking up on the truth and not buying the book.
Yes. The pony (Nixon) died about a decade ago. Now, no one cares. Especially, when it seems that "Deep Throat" was more of a crook than Nixon was.
Don't you just hate it when 35 years of phony leftist altruism croaks ?
LOL! It doesn't even sell inside the beltway.
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