Prince Harry released his much-anticipated, tell-all biography Spare last week. It became a monster hit overnight – during the course of the first day alone, it reportedly sold more than one million copies.
The Prince revealed many things regarding he and Meghan Markle’s life within the British Royal Family. By and large, it made for very compelling reading, and those who enjoyed the book might well be in luck.
Meghan Markle has been relatively quiet since Harry released his book. Experts have different thoughts as to why that is, but an interesting theory has come to the fore in the last few days.
Namely, one royal insider claims that after the massive success with Spare, publisher Penguin Random House may also push Meghan to release her own memoir.
It’s been a week now since Harry released his book, Spare. The reactions have been many, both positive and negative. But one thing that’s beyond certainty is that it has undoubtedly been a massive success story for him and his publisher.
According to Harry’s publisher, Penguin Random House, Spare is on its way to setting a new record as the fastest-selling non-fiction book ever. The book sold 400,000 copies on the first day across physical, e-book, and audio formats.
“We always knew this book would fly, but it is exceeding even our most bullish expectations,” Larry Finlay, managing director of Transworld Penguin Random House, said.
Harry’s massive success with ‘Spare’
“As far as we know, the only books to have sold more in their first day are those starring the other Harry (Potter).”
On the UK Amazon site, Harry’s memoir is already the top-selling publication. It’s now expected to be the biggest seller of 2023.
On Thursday, Penguin Random House released more stats, revealing that Spare sold 1.4 million copies on its first day in the UK, United States, and Canada. It was released in a total of 16 languages worldwide.
Parts of the book were widely leaked before its release, but its contents have continued to fill airtime and pages both in traditional newspapers and online.
“Vulnerable and heartfelt, brave and intimate, Spare is the story of someone we may have thought we already knew, but now we can truly come to understand Prince Harry through his own words,” President and publisher of the Random House Group, Gina Centrello, said.
“Looking at these extraordinary first day sales, readers clearly agree, Spare is a book that demands to be read, and it is a book we are proud to publish,” she added.
Harry – who reportedly got $20 million for writing the book – will undoubtedly be pleased about the success, not least because it’s made him a Guinness World Record holder.
Harry is a Guinness World Record holder
On its website, Guinness World Records have announced that Harry’s tell-all book has become the fastest-selling non-fiction book of all time. The official number of its first day of sales in the UK, US, and Canada was 1.43 million copies. That meant that Harry surpassed the record held by Barack Obama’s fourth book, A Promised Land, which sold 887,000 copies on its release day.
Though Spare was highly anticipated, it appears that it may have hindered his reputation among the British public. In a new YouGov survey published in The Times, only 24 percent of the UK population have retained a favorable view of him. That number is down from 80 percent a decade ago, with 68 percent of those surveyed being critical of him.
According to the survey, Harry and Meghan’s popularity ratings among those over 65 were even worse than the ratings of Prince Andrew.
Needless to say, Harry’s book – ghostwritten by American journalist J.R Moehringer, who also has written memoirs for billionaire Phil Knight and tennis player Andre Agassi – has evoked its fair share of reactions.
“It could have been two books”
Not among those sharing their reactions, perhaps unsurprisingly, is the Royal Family. At the time of writing, no one from the Firm has commented on the book – it makes sense to assume that will remain the case.
The same can be said for Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary, which aired in December. The show’s producers revealed that they had reached out for a comment from the Palace, but were met with silence. Others claim that the Netflix never reached out for a comment in the first place.
Though Harry revealed many things in his book, there was plenty that didn’t make the final cut. In an interview with The Telegraph, the Prince explained that the first draft of his book was 800 pages long.
“It could have been two books, put it that way,” Harry explained, adding that there were some things he simply left unsaid.
“There are some things that have happened, especially between me and my brother, and to some extent between me and my father, that I just don’t want the world to know. Because I don’t think they would ever forgive me.”
Harry added: “And there were other bits that I shared with J.R. Moehringer, that I said, ‘Look, I’m telling you this for context, but there’s absolutely no way I’m putting it in there.”
As mentioned, Harry’s publisher Penguin Random House is naturally delighted regarding the book’s outcome, and it makes sense to assume that Harry could technically produce a second book from the content that didn’t make the final manuscript for Spare.
