Scott Walker's Book Has Sold 7,200 Copies So Far

(from twincities.com)
by Scott Bauer - Associated Press


MADISON, Wis.—About 7,200 copies of Gov. Scott Walker's book "Unintimidated" have sold during its first month in bookstores, an average of more than 250 copies a day.
The sales figures as of Monday, provided by Nielsen BookScan, put Walker on pace to sell about as many copies as the memoir of former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, another Republican Midwestern governor who released a book amid talk of a presidential run. But Walker still has a long way to go to match sales that other Republican politicians who have published books in recent years have seen.

Walker's "Unintimidated: A Governor's Story and a Nation's Challenge," was released in the midst of a nationwide media blitz on Nov. 19. Walker hawked "Unintimidated" on national TV interviews and on a weeklong publicity tour that took him to New York City and Washington, D.C.

Walker's publisher, Penguin Group imprint Sentinel, does not release sales data for any of its titles, spokeswoman Jacquelynn Burke said.

"However, from having seen the numbers, I can say that the book is doing very well and selling consistently," Burke said in an email Tuesday. "Sentinel is definitely happy with the sales so far."

Walker said he wrote the book to tell the story of his first two years in office, including his push to curb union rights and the recall battle that followed. While Walker has said it's not a campaign book, Democratic critics and other political observers view it as a precursor to a possible 2016 presidential run.

Walker devotes an entire chapter dedicated to criticizing Republican Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential bid, as well as another chapter outlining his own vision for the future of the party.

Walker is up for re-election next year and hasn't said whether he will run for president, although he has refused to commit to serving a full four-year term as governor if he wins in 2014.

He also has refused to say how much he was paid in advance to write the book, along with co-author Marc Thiessen. Walker has said he will disclose that payment on campaign finance reports due next month.

Pawlenty released "Courage to Stand" in January 2011. Four months later he had sold 10,000 copies. As of this week, after nearly three years, the book has sold 12,000 copies, according to Nielsen.

Pawlenty reported in August 2011, on disclosure forms required when he ran for president, that he was paid a $342,000 advance to write his book.

Other more high-profile Republicans have sold more books than Walker or Pawlenty.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's 2005 book "Leadership," released before he sought the GOP presidential nomination in 2008, has sold 68,000 copies to date, according to Nielsen. And Romney's 2010 book, "No Apology: The Case for American Greatness," has sold at least 100,000 copies.

Current nationwide nonfiction best seller "Things That Matter," an anthology of essays by conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer, has sold 317,000 copies, according to Nielsen. Krauthammer's book came out a month before Walker's.

Walker's book has almost certainly sold more than 7,200 copies because Nielsen's numbers don't capture all sales. Its figures account for about 85 percent of the print book market, not including those sold at Wal-Mart, or any e-book sales.