Salem Media reported that sales in its publishing group fell 4% in 2017, declining to $24.4 million. That figure is down from the from $25.5 million the publisher made in 2016. The publishing division includes Regnery Publishing as well as Salem’s self-publishing and magazine operations.
Regnery president and publisher Marji Ross said the the unit saw small gains in sales and earnings last year. Two political books led the way: The Big Lie by Dinesh D’Souza and Ed Klein’s All Out War. (D'Souza's book was Regnery’s top seller in the year.)
Outside of its core politics category, the publisher found success with The Last Fighter Pilot and the backlist title Drinking with the Saints: The Sinner’s Guide to a Holy Happy Hour. The success of Saints was particularly encouraging to Ross, as Regnery tries to lessen its dependence on political books and improve its backlist sales. An increase in backlist sales last year, which helped to lower Regnery’s return rate, was one factor in improving the publisher earnings, Ross said.
Sales of e-books fell last year, even though units rose 3%. The unit gain was offset by price decreases as Regnery continued to experiment with pricing to improve discoverability on Amazon, Ross said.
The Regnery Faith imprint had a big jump in sales over 2016, and Ross is expecting another significant gain in 2018 as the company prepares for the April 2 release of The Rational Bible: Exodus by Dennis Prager. The book, which is set for April 2 and features commentary on every verse in Exodus, has received the most pre-orders on Amazon than any other Regnery book ever and the publisher plans to ship 50,000 copies of the $34.99 hardcover.
Regnery also received a sales boost earlier this week for Marlon Bundo’s Day in the Life of the Vice President, written by Vice President Mike Pence’s daughter Charlotte and illustrated by Pence's wife, Karen. The book was lampooned Sunday night on the HBO show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. During the episode, Oliver unveiled his own book featuring the titular rabbit: A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo. While the Oliver book has become a hit, Ross said the Regnery title has also seen a sales spike. “Of all the books we will do this year, I thought this one would be the least controversial,” Ross said.
Regnery’s big book for 2018, however, is almost certain to ruffle some feather. The Briefing, by former White House press secretary Sean Spicer, is set for a July release and will, Ross said, give an inside look at the Trump administration. The book will also provide Spicer’s “firsthand account of what it was like to be on the frontlines.” Regnery is planning a first printing of 200,000 copies for the book.
