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  1. Economy and Politics
  2. Elections

Hillary Clinton’s New Book Is Breaking Sales Records

By:
Martha C. White
3 min read
Hillary Clinton signs copies of her book, "What Happened" at Barnes & Noble Union Square on September 12, 2017, in New York City. - John Lamparski—WireImage
Hillary Clinton signs copies of her book, "What Happened" at Barnes & Noble Union Square on September 12, 2017, in New York City. John Lamparski—WireImage

Even though we all know the results of the 2016 presidential election, a lot of Americans still want to know What Happened. That's the title of Hillary Clinton's new book, which may have only hit shelves a week ago, but has already sold more than 300,000 copies, according to publisher Simon & Schuster, breaking some records along the way.

NPD Bookscan says What Happened sold 168,000 hardcover copies ($17.99) in its first week on sale, with sales of e-books ($14.99), CD ($25.94) and digital audio ($23.95, or free with Audible subscription) versions making up the remainder.

Simon & Schuster ticked off some other impressive-sounding sales stats in a release. What Happened accounted for the best week of digital audio sales — ever — for the company. It also sold more ebooks in a week than any nonfiction Simon & Schuster title since the 2011 publication of Steve Jobs' biography.

One week in, the publisher says it's already gone back to press three times, and that there are a total of 800,000 copies of What Happened in print. It's also been climbing up the Amazon bestsellers list like nobody's business, ranking neck-in-neck with Tom Brady's new self-help book, The TB12 Method.

“Notwithstanding all that has been written and discussed over the last year, there is clearly an overwhelming desire among readers to learn about and experience, from Hillary Clinton’s singular perspective, the historic events of the 2016 election," Simon & Schuster president and CEO Carolyn Reidy said in a statement.

According to the Associated Press, What Happened bested first-week sales of Clinton's last book, which covered her time as Secretary of State, although it falls short of first-week sales figures of her 2003 memoir, which delved into Bill Clinton's highly-publicized affair with Monica Lewinsky.

And, perhaps in preparation for the next generation of Clinton readers, Simon & Schuster also just published a picture-book version of Clinton's 2006 book, It Takes a Village.

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