Bruce Springsteen has sold millions of records, but can he sell millions of books? That’s the big question, since Simon & Schuster was rumored to pay $10 million for world rights to Born to Run, Springsteen’s memoir, which will be released across the globe on September 27. The book, according to an S&S statement, will cover the “poetry, danger, and darkness” of Springsteen’s New Jersey childhood, as well as his rise to massive stardom.
His book will join a crowded field of musician memoirs, and even though they almost always sell well, some do much better than others. Here’s a look at how some of the competition has fared, based on sales of print units from Nielsen BookScan.
Classics
Hardcover sales, first year of publication
554,084
Life
(Little, Brown)
Keith Richards
2010
142,667
Waging Heavy Peace
(Penguin/Blue Rider)
Neil Young
2012
92,035
Who I Am
(Harper)
Pete Townshend
2012
73,391
Rod (Crown)
Rod Stewart
2012
57,591
Just Kids
(Ecco)
Patti Smith
2010
Last Year’s Model
Release-to-date hardcover sales of recently published memoirs
105,921
It’s a Long Story
(Little, Brown)
Willie Nelson
May 2015
74,999
Boys in the Trees
(Flatiron)
Carly Simon
Nov. 2015
39,783
Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink
(Penguin/Blue Rider)
Elvis Costello
Oct. 2015
29,211
Girl in a Band
(Dey Street)
Kim Gordon
Feb. 2015
21,803
Reckless
(Doubleday)
Chrissie Hynde
Sept. 2015
