The revolution is in full swing for Lin-Manuel Miranda, whose Hamilton: The Revolution (Grand Central Publishing), co-written with veteran reporter Jeremy McCarter, has hit #1 on the Publishers Weekly nonfiction bestseller list. As of this writing, the book has sold 38,654 copies according to BookScan, which accounts for roughly 80% of print sales. The title is also currently out of stock on Amazon.
Jimmy Franco, Grand Central’s senior director of publicity, said the Amazon stock issue should be solved soon.
“We have a number of print runs that are currently in process,” Franco said. “We have books coming next week, and a steady flow of books that should be coming over the next few weeks.”
Franco cited the book’s high production quality as one reason for the delays. “The quality of the paper, the leather binding—it’s a very meticulously crafted book,” he said. “It takes time to produce.”
The first print run for the book capped at 60,000 copies, with 50,000 more expected next week. “By the summertime, we’re looking at a print run of about 400,000 copies,” Franco noted.
Miranda has been making headlines since early 2015, when his musical, Hamilton, which began off-Broadway, became a major hit on the Great White Way. He has, in the process, nabbed a slew of honors, including a slot in Time Magazine's "Time 100" and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (a rare honor for a musical). Miranda also sat down with Secretary Jack Lew in a much-publicized visit to the Treasury in 2015, which has been cited as an influence on Lew's decision to keep Alexander Hamilton on the $10 bill.
As for whether the current lack of copies of Hamilton: The Revolution poses a problem, Franco said that Miranda’s sheer popularity should curb any issues. “People have been willing to wait to see the [Broadway] show,” he said. “I think they’ll be willing to wait for the book.”
