Sales of Starr Report Drop Steeply After Initial Surge

The Starr Report, an independent prosecutor's book detailing the Clinton scandal, saw a significant decline in sales in the month following its release, according to booksellers. The report, which initially sold 1.5 million copies, slipped from its top spot on the New York Times paperback nonfiction bestseller list, with retailers reporting a substantial drop in interest. Despite this, the report remains a bestseller, with six different editions selling well, including testimony from Lewinsky and President Clinton.

Key Takeaways:

• Sales of the Starr Report dropped significantly after the initial surge, with booksellers reporting a substantial decline in interest.
• The report, which was initially number one on the New York Times paperback nonfiction bestseller list, dropped to number 28, 68, and 74 on USA Today's list of the 150 best-selling books.
• Retailers such as Barnes & Noble and Borders saw a decline in sales, with some stores reporting that sales had slowed down significantly or had "quieted down a little bit."
• One reader on Amazon.com gave the report four stars out of five, calling it "the most entertaining legal document I've read," while another reader lambasted Starr for spending $40 million to write "essentially a softcore porn novel."
• It's unknown how many of the 1.5 million copies published have actually been sold, with one bookseller reporting that he sold only two or three copies.
• Other political titles are being clustered around the Starr Report in bookstores, hoping to feed off the public's curiosity.
• Media magnate Rupert Murdoch is working on a book about Monica Lewinsky's story, with a reported price of $3 million to cover a Fox network interview and a book.

Statistics:

• 1.5 million copies of the Starr Report were printed.
• The report dropped from number two, number four, and number thirteen on USA Today's list to numbers 28, 68, and 74.
• Sales have declined significantly, with some retailers reporting that sales have slowed down a lot or have quieted down a little bit.
• The national chains, Borders and Barnes & Noble, saw a decline in sales, with some stores reporting that sales have dropped significantly.

Sources:

• "Americans say they're tired of the Clinton scandal. At least in one way, it seems they're proving it," by an unknown author, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 1998.
• Quotations from Michael Barbella, store manager at Barnes & Noble in downtown Philadelphia, David Tenney, owner/clerk at Kramerbooks & afterwords in Washington, and Theresa Zoro, a spokeswoman for Pocket Books, as cited in The Philadelphia Inquirer, 1998.
• Information on the Starr Report's sales and ranking on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists, as cited in The Philadelphia Inquirer, 1998.