I just checked Amazon.com and it looks like the book is another "best-seller" -- sort of. Amazon has it listed at number 16 on the best-seller list so far. But don't take that to mean that many thousands of individual Americans are rushing out to buy the book. No, this new book is making the best-seller list the same way her other book did -- with bulk sales from conservative organizations (who will try to give the book away to people).
Godless Liberal Homo clues us in to one of these organizations trying to pump up Palin's book. The ultra-right-wing Townhall Magazine has made a bulk purchase of the book, and is offering free copies to anyone who subscribes to their magazine. I'm sure they're not the only ones who are doing this. Several conservative magazines and other organizations did this for her first book.
Frankly this sounds like a cheap way to make the best-seller list -- sort of like cheating. But I doubt that Palin (or the publisher) cares as long as the dollars roll in. It makes me feel kind of sorry for the authors pushed down the best-seller list because of this -- the ones who are there because they actually wrote a good book that individuals are going to a bookstore to buy.
This reminded me a little of House Speaker Jim Wright in 1988.
ReplyDeleteOf course, the two major differences are that 1) Wright's book didn't sell nearly the number of copies as Palin's; and 2) since Palin isn't running for elected office, it wasn't a pretext for circumventing campaign contribution limits.
Thanks for the link!
ReplyDeleteCurious Texan: Thanks for the giggle about Palin not running for elected office.
libhom,
ReplyDeleteIsn't running = present progressive tense. To be currently running for elected office, you have to have declared yourself a candidate, which she has yet to do.
Had I said, "since Palin won't be running for elected...", you might have had a reason to giggle - although I still think she'll sit out 2012.
But I could be wrong.