Regnery Publishing is having a good spring. The Amateur, by Ed Klein and released by Regnery May 1, moves to the top of the hardcover nonfiction list this week, while The Great Destroyer debuts at # 2. Destroyer, written by David Limbaugh, sold just under 19,000 copies in its first week on sale at outlets tracked by Nielsen BookScan, while The Amateur sold just under 20,000 copies. Since its release, The Amateur has sold over 66,000 copies in BookScan outlets, and Marji Ross, Regnery president and publisher, told PW e-book sales are about one-third of total sales.
Both books take a critical look at President Obama and the Obama administration, and Ross believes they will continue to sell well up until the November election. Regnery waited to release the books until the Republican primaries were over and the public began focusing on the general election. “Every political publisher wants to have a book that sparks a debate and raises issues that matter to people,” Ross said. To meet the expected continued demand, Regnery has 400,000 copies in print for Amateur, while Destroyer has 250,000 copies in print.
Ross believes Regnery is well positioned for a strong run this summer and fall. Next up is a new title from Phyllis Schlafly, No Higher Power. Written with George Neumayr, the authors examine what they see as the Left’s war on religion. August will bring a new title from Dinesh D’Souza, Obama’s America, plus a completely revised edition of George Gilder’s Wealth and Poverty that includes a new prologue and epilogue from Gilder.
