The great thing about writing this column every week is that I get to say what I think, to take chances, to stick my neck out. The bad thing about it is, sometimes I'm wrong.
On April 24, I wrote about new books coming from Sen. Edward Kennedy and Al Gore. I had read much of the former, and much about the latter—and had even interviewed the one-time VP on the phone. I didn't see his book An Inconvenient Truth, because there was no book yet available to see, and I said as much. But I also said something that has been haunting me: opining that both Kennedy and Gore were old warhorses to whom the country no longer cared to listen, I said, "I'd bet my campaign contributions that they're not going to sell through."
Good thing I hadn't made any pledges yet. While Kennedy's book did, indeed, disappear pretty quickly, as of this writing, Gore's is #6 on our trade paperback bestseller list and high up on many others as well. (According to the regional Book Sense lists, it's at the top everywhere: its lowest showing is #7, in "the Heartland.") According to the book's publisher, Rodale, there will soon be 185,000 copies in print. Nielsen BookScan reports 24,000 sold from its May 26 pub date through the week ending June 11. (Some of this large discrepancy may be due to the fact that Rodale, known for its direct-marketing prowess and database of some 10 million customer names, is selling the book through unconventional venues, such as environmental groups. Also, Sam's Club, which is not tracked by BookScan, ordered 20,000 copies, said Leigh Haber, the acquiring editor.)
This is an impressive showing by any measure, and one that I didn't expect. What went right? Was it the glowing New York Timesreview by Michiko Kakutani and then others? Maybe, but we all know that even great reviews don't necessarily sell books. How about the movie version of An Inconvenient Truth, which has also been lauded throughout the land? Again, maybe, but then, Rodale made a conscious decision not to use the movie promotion art on the book, the better to give the impression that it is not a movie tie-in. And surely you can't discount Gore's stumping for his work: one industry watcher recently opined that if only he'd been that animated on the campaign trail, we'd all be living in a different America.
Yes, the book is beautifully produced, with at least as many pages of four-color photography as readable text. Yes, it's about global warming, a subject that, it turns out, people really do care about. And, yes, it's a trade paperback, the lists for which might be just a little easier to crack. But mulch piles are built of good, important, topical titles by "name" authors—especially politicians—that are well-done, smartly marketed and never bought. Why is An Inconvenient Truth such a hit?
I guess Gore isn't as much of a dinosaur as I thought. And I have to hand it to Rodale for figuring out how to market him. And, obviously, I should never underestimate how much people care about the weather.
Most of all, though, I continue to believe in the magic that every once in a while shows up in this crazy business of ours.
That's an opinion I promise I'll never have to take back. I hope.
Agree? Disagree? Tell us at www.publishersweekly.com/saranelson
