Hillary book doing poorly
in the heartland

June 11, 2003

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Though Sen. Hillary Clinton’s newly released memoirs, “Living History,” are reportedly selling well in some areas of the country, it isn’t setting records in the heartland, booksellers tell WorldNetDaily.

“We sold seven copies Monday, which is higher than most for a new book, but maybe only one or two copies today,” said a clerk at a mall-based Waldenbooks store here.

Further south, in Birmingham, Ala., clerks at the Crosshaven Books store were more blunt.

“She’s never going to hit the best-seller list here,” said a female clerk who answered the phone. Chuckling, she continued: “She doesn’t have much of a following [down here].”

Another clerk at the nearby Alabama Bookstore said she hadn’t even been sent any copies of the junior New York senator’s book. Ditto for Mostly Books in Tucson, Ariz., Aradia Books in Flagstaff further north, as well as Gazebo Books in Eureka Springs, in the former first lady’s home state of Arkansas.

The book was doing well in other parts of the country, and via some Internet-based chains.

A clerk at Wordsworth Books in Little Rock, Ark., said Mrs. Clinton’s memoirs were selling well.

“About 150 the first day, and maybe another 30 on hold,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported yesterday that bookseller giant Barnes and Noble claimed the tome set first-day sales records of more than 40,000 copies in the first 24 hours it was available.

Reuters reported the book sold more than 200,000 copies the first day.

Also, as of yesterday afternoon, the book had climbed to No. 2 on the Amazon.com best-seller list.

Publisher Simon & Schuster paid Mrs. Clinton an $8 million advance for the book and ordered a rare first-run of 1 million copies. The publisher said it would order an additional 300,000 copies as well.

“We are certainly happy,” Simon & Schuster spokeswoman Victoria Meyer told Reuters. “By any measure this is a huge number.”

Mrs. Clinton signed about 1,000 copies at a midtown Manhattan Barnes and Noble Monday.

But elsewhere, particularly in the heartland, sales were dim.

A clerk at the Chinook Bookshop in Colorado Springs, Colo., said the store had sold six copies of the book and “we have another 27 on order.” A woman managing The Raven Bookstore in Lawrence, Kan., said she was “sold out” – three copies – with “no one” asking for more.

“They haven’t sold as well as we thought,” said a female clerk at the Lee Booksellers store in Lincoln, Neb. “We’ve sold maybe 10 or so,” noting the store had orders for about 15 copies.

Some political analysts believe Clinton’s book is less a memoir than a launching pad for a presidential bid in 2008.

Though she told Time magazine she had ‘no intention’ of running for president in five years, New York’s junior senator told CNN’s Larry King April 29, 1997, she would never run for any public office. Two years later, she announced a bid for New York’s open Senate seat, vacated by the retiring (and late) Daniel Patrick Moynihan.

Clinton also told ABC’s Barbara Walters she had no plans to run for president.