The former prime minister's memoir sold more than 92,000 copies in its first four days on sale, comfortably outdoing figures for Peter Mandelson's rival account
Alison Flood guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 8 September 2010
Tony Blair greets employees of Eason book store in Dublin on September 4 before attending a public book signing disrupted by protesters. Photograph: Niall Carson/AFP/Getty Images
Despite predictions that Peter Mandelson beating him into print would damage sales of Tony Blair's autobiography, the former prime minister's book has trounced his erstwhile spin doctor's to become one of the fastest-selling memoirs ever – presumably pretty solid consolation for having had his publication party at Tate Modern cancelled.
Blair's A Journey sold 92,060 copies in its first four days on sale last week, according to Nielsen BookScan – the best ever opening week sale for an autobiography since the book sales monitor's records began, in 1998, and well ahead of Mandelson's The Third Man's performance, which sold 14,960 copies in three days when it was published in July.
Although Blair cancelled a signing event at Waterstone's in central London scheduled for today, fearing protests, the bookseller nonetheless said A Journey had become its fastest selling autobiography ever, based on first-day sales. "It has been a phenomenal book for us – everyone has been talking about it and the proof is not in the protests but in the sales," said spokesman Jon Howells. "Overwhelmingly people have decided to make up their minds by reading the book, and we think sales will remain strong through to Christmas. There are few certain things in bookselling, but this is one – prime ministers' memoirs sell. One hopes David Cameron is keeping a diary."
More at The Guardian.
And this story by Toby Young in The Telegraph:
Tony Blair made the right decision to cancel his book party. They're a complete waste of time
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