Clinton's 'History' creating a hubbub - Crowds, record sales predicted for her White House memoir

Associated Press ^ | June 9, 2003 | Associated Press Staff

[MeekOneGOP]

Clinton's 'History' creating a hubbub

Crowds, record sales predicted for senator's White House memoir

06/09/2003

Associated Press

NEW YORK – Wristbands, like those used for ticket-buyers at rock concerts, for the first 250 fans. A summer tour of major American cities.

Welcome to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's 2003 book tour.

The host of the tour's inaugural signing event for Mrs. Clinton's Living History, a Barnes & Noble in midtown Manhattan, is counting on heavy crowds Monday.

Store managers will distribute wristbands to the first 250 people seeking autographed copies of the senator's book, in order to make sure everyone in line has a copy.

Even before a single copy has been sold, the company's vice president of marketing, Bob Wietrack, predicted the memoir will be the chain's No. 1 nonfiction book of the year. Simon & Schuster, which agreed to pay Mrs. Clinton $8 million, has printed 1 million copies.

The bookstore visits are only part of the media blitz. Barbara Walters interviewed the senator for a Sunday segment on ABC, in which Mrs. Clinton said her marriage has "been tried and tested and we are at the point now that we're looking forward. ... I hope that we'll grow old together."

Time magazine is running excerpts from the book and an interview with Mrs. Clinton. In the interview, she is asked if she plans to run for president in 2008, and answers: "I have no intention of running for president."

A new ABC poll found that 53 percent of Americans don't want the former first lady to ever run for president. The same poll found Americans are still divided about her, with 44 percent expressing a favorable opinion and 48 percent viewing her unfavorably.

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Online at: http://www.dallasnews.com/latestnews/stories/060903dnnatclinton.760a.html

[js1138]

There is no way on God's green Earth this book will be a success.

I haven't seen any numbers yet. It will, in my estimate, drop off the top 20 list within three or four weeks. Only two kinds of people will buy it: those who consider it a political contribution, and those looking for dirt. They'll run out of both pretty soon.

[CyberAnt]

The book which I think will sell more is Ann Coulter's, "Treason", which is due to hit the bookstores this month, along with Patterson's "Dereliction of Duty".

Just saw on FOX - Rudy will be signing his new book on June 13 at the same place in Manhattan. Hope NYC people will turn out and swamp the place - LOL - I wonder how the AP will explain that turnout - probably not "hubbub".

[CyberAnt]

Or ... any FR people ... LOL

[CyberAnt]

"idiots out there who adore Hillary"

Hmmmm?? About 17% - LOL

[mewzilla]

I wonder if there's a way to break down sales numbers to know how many sales are institutional? I'll bet my local library will have 6 copies of the darn thing. Nothing from Regnery mind you, but lots of anything glorifying the Toons. Bet a lot of these sales will be going to libraries.

[CyberAnt]

Well ... just saw on FOX - Rudy will be signing his book on June 13. I wonder if AP will think there's a hubbub??

Also ... sometime this month, Ann Coulter's new book, "Treason" will hit the stores, along with St. Patterson's book, "Dereliction of Duty". I will predict both of these books will outpace Hitlery's by a mile.

[kattracks]

WHAT!!!??? He did you too???

[MeekOneGOP]

haha !

[ntnychik]

Image trumps reality in the world of radicals. Doesn't matter if real people don't buy it. If the people whe wants to impress believe the subterfuge, her purpose is served. I don't think it's about the money.

[MeekOneGOP]

And that 44% number is UP from where it was too. I heard it was in the 30's not too long ago !!

[thegreatbeast]

I wish that there were some way to track the dispersion of these million copies. Personally, I doubt if they would even print that many right out of the box. New Yorkers, keep your eyes peeled for a barge making for deep water heavy with thousands upon thousands of "Living History."

[RayChuang88]

They have GOT to be kidding about the record sales.

Oh, it'll sell in place with lots of liberals like the large cities, but Hillary's new book will be absolutely NOTHING compared to the massively pent-up demand for Joanne Kathleen Rowling's new book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which is coming out in just under two weeks. Levine/Scholastic printed up 8,500,000 copies of Rowling's latest Harry Potter novel, and even THAT might not be enough.

[hellinahandcart]

I was at a freep of the booksigning today (look for a report from firebrand or Doctor Raoul tonight). The line seemed depresingly long at first. Then an amazing thing happened. Barnes and Noble let just the press inside at first, and the size of the line was instantly reduced by half.

Someone on FOX news pointed out that Rudy Giuliani had a much longer line for his book. Heck, I saw a truly enormous line at the B & N on 86th street a few years back, for Derek Jeter.

There is definitely more "hoop" (as in "zero") than "la" going on here, know what I mean?

[Slyfox]

The only way anyone will buy her book:

Hillary Potter and the Coneheads

[MeekOneGOP]

Yep! Plop plop! Fizz fizz . . .

What they gonna do with all those unsold books ?!?

[MeekOneGOP]

LOL !!

[OldFriend]

Considering all the lib groups out there you can be sure this book will get to #1 on the NYT best seller list.

Mass purchases are typical on both sides of the political spectrum so don't be too disappointed at the sales.

[OldFriend]

Thanks for the first hand report.......we should have known this was going to be manipulated for the cameras.

[js1138]

Considering all the lib groups out there you can be sure this book will get to #1 on the NYT best seller list.

Not yet, but it hasn't been a full week yet.

[hattend]

Even before a single copy has been sold, the company's vice president of marketing, Bob Wietrack, predicted the memoir will be the chain's No. 1 nonfiction book of the year. Simon & Schuster, which agreed to pay Mrs. Clinton $8 million, has printed 1 million copies.

I wonder if Wietrack will remember to make another announcement when it fails to sell well. Will we see him again?

I'll believe it's selling well when they print another million. Until then, cases of books are sitting in a basement in Chappaqua.