Despite some negative reviews, former president Bill Clinton's My Life became the fastest-selling nonfiction work in history as the memoir set records at both chain bookstores and independents. My Life publisher Knopf reported that the book sold 400,000 copies on the first day it was available in stores, and responded to the demand by going back to press for an additional 1,075,000 copies to supplement its 1.5 million-copy first printing.
At the major bookstore chains, Barnes & Noble sold more than 90,000 copies of My Life on day one, and B&N's Bob Wietrak said sales were strong again the following day. Wietrak said B&N was expecting reorders to arrive in stores over the weekend.
Borders Group's Borders and Waldenbooks outlets sold more than 50,000 copies, surpassing the company's first-day expectations. Bill Nasshan, senior v-p of trade books for Borders, said that the company's stores "around the globe continue to have plenty of books in stock and are ready to meet what we expect will be continuing demand through the summer and beyond." Books-A-Million sold more than 11,000 copies of My Life, a record for nonfiction, said Terry Finley, head of investor relations for BAM. The strong showing did not surprise BAM, since preorders "were robust," Finley added. BAM's supply was sufficient to meet demand, although Finley said the chain "is continuing to monitor the situation."
A number of independent stores had sold out of copies last week and Ingram reported that it had briefly run out of copies on the first day of sale. Knopf spokesperson Paul Bogaards said the company had plenty of books in the pipeline and that accounts should be in good shape by last weekend.
Among the indies that ran out of stock was Harlem's Hue-Man Bookstore, where Clinton held his first independent-outlet signing. Owner Clara Villarosa said her 2,000 copies had been sold days before the event, and she didn't expect any more until the hoopla was over. Clinton's appearance made Hue Man a media hot spot for a day and raised the profile of the store.
A number of other independents were watching their stock carefully. Danny Gainsburg, co-owner of Washington, D.C's Politics and Prose, which is set for a Clinton appearance on July 6, sold about 2,000 copies on day one. "I think people are buying the book from us because he's coming here," Gainsburg said. He added that he was "not totally happy" with Random House's distribution of books. "There's been too many vague comments about lack of stock. We've had to buy from wholesalers to satisfy demand," he said.
Elsewhere in the capital region, the book was selling at a healthy rate last week. Jean Westcott, who helps coordinate buying for Olsson's Books and Records' seven locations, said the stores sold 200 of their 800 copies the first day. "That's too much of a percentage to have sold," Westcott said, adding that she expected to receive additional copies before week's end. Olsson's protected itself by placing backup orders with wholesalers.
While the demand for the hardcover was largely expected, sales of the audiobook surpassed most expectations. BAM's Finley said he was surprised at how well the audio sold, especially the CD. Random House estimated it sold 35,000 copies on the first day, out of a 315,000-copy run.
My Life was also causing a stir at used and collectible online sites. At Abebooks.com, the first signed copy of My Life sold for $499.99. Marci Crossan, manager, press and publicity, for Abebooks, noted that "signed copies on Abebooks.com are selling as fast as booksellers can list them. We've never seen books move so fast onto, and then off of, the Web site in the history of Abebooks.com."
