Prince Harry’s memoir, “Spare,” has become a record-breaking success, with first-day sales that exceed some of publishing’s biggest hits, including blockbusters by Barack and Michelle Obama, Report informs via the New York Times.
“Spare” sold more than 1.43 million copies in all formats in the United States, Canada and Britain, including pre-orders, according to its publisher. The figure marked the largest first-day sales for any nonfiction book ever published by Penguin Random House, the world’s largest publisher.
The memoir’s strong debut, while extraordinary, wasn’t entirely surprising. An explosive tell-all by a self-exiled prince seemed from the start to be as close to a sure bet as one can get in the fickle publishing business. Sales have been building for months, especially in the days before publication, when the book’s contents started to become public in unintentional leaks and in high-profile interviews.
The magnitude of its sales puts “Spare” among some of the best-selling hardcover books in recent memory. Barack Obama’s “A Promised Land” sold more than 887,000 copies across formats in the United States and Canada on its first day of publication, according to its publisher, Penguin Random House. Michelle Obama’s memoir, “Becoming,” also published by Penguin Random House, sold more than 725,000 units in the U.S. and Canada on its first day, the company said.