Election Countdown

As we close in on the opening of the Republican National Convention on July 18, a trio of politically charged books hit our Hardcover Nonfiction list.

Crisis of Character by Gary J. Byrne, #1 in Hardcover Nonfiction—and #1 in the country overall—is the account of a former uniformed Secret Service officer who was posted outside the Oval Office in the Clinton White House. Observers including Donald Trump laud the book’s depiction of Hillary Clinton as “erratic and violent,” while Jan Gilhooly, president of the Association of Former Agents of the United States Secret Service, is among those questioning “the veracity and content” of the book.

At #3 in Hardcover Nonfiction, Wake Up America by Fox News cohost Eric Bolling outlines the threats to American values posed by those on “the radical left,” among whom he includes Hillary Clinton, President Obama, and Bernie Sanders.

Dick Morris, a political strategist and former Clinton advisor turned Clinton critic, offers his take in Armageddon, coauthored by his wife, Eileen McGann. At #22 in nonfiction, the book, subtitled How Trump Can Beat Hillary, calls the 2016 election “the ultimate and decisive battle to save America.”

(See all of this week's bestselling books.)

Back on the Field

When Battlefield Earth by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard pubbed in 1982, the book was touted as the author’s return, after a long hiatus, to science fiction. Reviews were mixed, and the book later achieved a measure of notoriety for serving as source material for the 2000 film. The book’s fans, though, remain legion, and this week, a new edition lands at #1 on our Trade Paperback list and #6 in the country overall, selling almost as much in one week as the 2011 mass market edition sold in its entire run. The new release includes 50 pages of Hubbard’s previously unpublished handwritten notes, as well as the transcript of his last media interview.

Home Field Advantage

At #8 in Hardcover Nonfiction, House of Nails by Lenny Dykstra depicts the baseball star turned convicted felon’s rise and fall. Dykstra made headlines first as a powerhouse slugger for the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies and then for transgressions including grand theft auto, lewd conduct, assault, and bankruptcy fraud. While his fame and infamy are national, initial interest in his memoir is strongest in the areas where he used to play ball. With the exception of the two designated market areas shown at right, no single U.S. region represents more than 4% of sales.

First-Week DMA Sales for House of Nails

NYC 28%
Philadelphia 12%

Round Two

Two decades after the publication of Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk delivers the graphic novel Fight Club 2, which debuts at #12 in Hardcover Fiction. Illustrated by Cameron Stewart, the book compiles 10 issues of a comic set 10 years after the events of the original novel. Palahniuk has said he’s already at work on a graphic (probably in both senses) sequel, Fight Club 3.

New & Notable

Don’t Try This at Home

Kian Lawley and JC Caylen

10.8K print units

The YouTube personalities—and newly minted YA memoir authors—have attracted millions of subscribers who watch videos such as “Playing with a Taser” and “So Excited I Can Do a Naked Backflip.”

Top 10 Overall

Rank Title Author Imprint Units
1 Crisis of Character Gary J. Byrne Center Street 84,133
2 The Games Patterson/Sullivan Little, Brown 31,424
3 First Comes Love Emily Giffin Ballantine 30,505
4 Shadow Rider Christine Feehan Jove 22,912
5 Me Before You (mass market movie tie-in) Jojo Moyes Penguin 20,915
6 Battlefield Earth L. Ron Hubbard Galaxy 20,098
7 Me Before You (trade paper movie tie-in) Jojo Moyes Penguin 19,116
8 Precious Gifts Danielle Steel Dell 18,565
9 The BFG Roald Dahl Puffin 18,193
10 End of Watch Stephen King Scribner 17,480

All unit sales per Nielsen BookScan except where noted.