The biggest book release of the year isn’t a blockbuster novel or an explosive celebrity memoir. It’s concert merch.
Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour Book,” which was released on Nov. 29, sold 814,000 print copies over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend — the largest first week print sales total of 2024, according to Circana Bookscan.
The book’s huge opening week also stands out because of Swift’s unusual retail strategy: She released the book exclusively through Target, bypassing bookstores and Amazon. It went on sale in physical stores on Black Friday, and was available for purchase online from Target on November 30th.
The release is unusual in other ways. Instead of working with a major publisher, Swift self-published the book through Taylor Swift Publications. The 256-page hardcover includes more than 500 photos and reflections from Swift, and costs $39.99.
“The Eras Tour Book” ranks as the second-highest adult nonfiction release in the history of BookScan, according to a Circana representative. Swift’s first-week print sales nearly matched Barack Obama’s “A Promised Land,” which sold 816,300 print copies in its first week of sales, and put her well ahead of another blockbuster nonfiction release — Prince Harry’s “Spare,” which sold 620,600 print copies in its first week.
Swift’s decision to sell her book only at Target was a disappointment to some booksellers, who make the majority of their annual revenue from holiday sales, and were cut out of one of the year’s biggest releases.
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