In its first week of publication, Going Rogue: An American Life by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was the highest-selling book of the week in the U.S. according to Nielsen Bookscan, debuting ahead of titles by best-sellers James Patterson and Stephen King whose books also debut that week.
| Top 10 Book Sales: Week Of Nov. 16, 2009 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Title | Author | Date of Publication |
| 1 | GOING ROGUE: AN AMERICAN LIFE (hardcover) | Sarah Palin | 11/1/2009 |
| 2 | I, ALEX CROSS (hardcover) | James Patterson | 11/1/2009 |
| 3 | UNDER THE DOME (hardcover) | Stephen King | 11/1/2009 |
| 4 | THE LOST SYMBOL (hardcover) | Dan Brown | 9/1/2009 |
| 5 | DOG DAYS (hardcover) | Jeff Kinney | 10/1/2009 |
| 6 | FORD COUNTY (hardcover) | John Grisham | 11/1/2009 |
| 7 | OPEN (hardcover) | Andre Agassi | 11/1/2009 |
| 8 | ECLIPSE (trade paperback) | Stephenie Meyer | 8/1/2009 |
| 9 | HAVE A LITTLE FAITH (hardcover) | Mitch Albom | 9/1/2009 |
| 10 | TWILIGHT (trade paperback) | Stephenie Meyer | 9/1/2006 |
| Source: The Nielsen Company |
In comparison to first week book sales by current or past presidents, or by other vice presidential or presidential contenders, Palin runs second behind Bill Clinton’s memoir, My Life, and just ahead of Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton’s Living History.
| Top 10 Political Book Sales First Week | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | Title | Year Released | First Week Sales* |
| Bill Clinton | My Life | 2004 | 606,000 |
| Sarah Palin | Going Rogue | 2009 | 469,000 |
| Hilary Clinton | Living History | 2003 | 440,000 |
| Barack Obama | The Audacity of Hope | 2007 | 67,000 |
| John McCain | Why Courage Matters | 2004 | 6,000 |
| Joe Biden | Promises to Keep | 2007 | 5,000 |
| John McCain | Worth Fighting For | 2002 | 4,000 |
| John McCain | Hard Call | 2007 | 3,000 |
| John McCain | Character is Destiny | 2005 | 1,000 |
| George W. Bush | We Will Prevail | 2003 | 1,000 |
| Source: The Nielsen Company. *Data does not include sales from Wal-Mart, Sam’s, BJ’s, or libraries |
The media blitz surrounding the book had an impact on more than book sales. Palin’s Nov. 16 appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, gave a boost to the talk show queen’s ratings in several major markets. In some cases, more than doubling the average audience when compared to the prior month.
| Cities with Highest Household Viewership Increase for Sarah Palin Appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Market | Palin Appearance | Prior 4 Wk Avg | % Change |
| Indianapolis | 11.4 | 5.0 | 128% |
| Memphis | 10.2 | 5.0 | 104% |
| San Diego | 10.4 | 5.2 | 100% |
| Columbus, OH | 10.0 | 5.1 | 96% |
| Seattle | 8.4 | 4.3 | 95% |
| Los Angeles | 5.3 | 2.8 | 89% |
| Dayton, OH | 5.3 | 2.9 | 83% |
| Raleigh | 8.2 | 4.5 | 82% |
| Ft. Meyers | 7.8 | 4.3 | 81% |
| Oklahoma | 9.4 | 5.2 | 81% |
| Source: The Nielsen Company |
Since the 2008 elections, the former vice presidential candidate remained a hot topic in the media and the blogosphere, as buzz inched up around the book’s release. However, even at the height of the book tour, the web chatter did not eclipse the web attention garnered by her premature exit from the post of Alaska governor earlier this summer.
