Topline
Prince Harry’s memoir Spare has sold over 1.4 million English-language copies in all formats in the U.S., the U.K. and Canada, and is already in its second run, publisher Penguin Random House announced Wednesday, just one day after the controversial and explosive tell-all memoir was released.
Copies of the book Spare by Prince Harry on sale for the first time in WH Smiths on the 10th of … [+]
Key Facts
Tuesday’s sales figures represent “the largest first-day sales total for any non-fiction book ever published by Penguin Random House,” a press release said.
The first U.S. printing of the book created 2 million copies.
On Tuesday, Spare sold 400,000 physical, e-book and audio copies in the United Kingdom, becoming the country’s fastest-selling nonfiction book, according to Transworld Penguin Random House, Penguin’s British division.
Key Background
Spare is Prince Harry’s first book, but it’s one of several recent media projects by him or wife Meghan Markle that give a behind-the-scenes look at the British royal family and the couple’s strained relationship with King Charles III and Prince William. Last week, Spanish copies of the book were mistakenly sold before the release date, allowing the press to leak many of the book’s most jarring contents. Harry, 38, left little unsaid in his memoir. He said that he and William asked their father not to marry Queen Camilla Parker-Bowles, that he and William have gotten into a physical fight over Meghan Markle and that he killed 25 people during his two tours in Afghanistan. The book also contains intimate ruminations on the death of his mother, Charles’ first wife Princess Diana, and details surrounding the Royal family’s relationship with the British media.
Tangent
As part of his media tour to promote the book, Harry has sat for interviews with ITV, 60 Minutes, Good Morning America and Stephen Colbert. His 60 Minutes interview garnered 11.2 million viewers, the largest audience of the season. He is also set to appear on the cover of People Magazine.
Further Reading
Prince Harry Defends Netflix Doc And Media Appearances: ‘Silence Is Betrayal’ (Forbes)
Prince Harry Says Princess Diana Would Be ‘Heartbroken’ By Her Sons’ Fractured Relationship (Forbes)
Prince Harry’s Memoir ‘Spare’ Sets U.K. Record For Fastest-Selling Nonfiction Book, Publisher Says (Forbes)
11.2 Million Viewers Tuned In To Prince Harry’s ‘60 Minutes’ Interview (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2023/01/11/prince-harrys-book-spare-sold-over-14-million-english-copies-already-on-second-run/