Posted on 06/22/2004 4:11:56 PM PDT by Libloather
Clinton book mania explodes on the Web
By John Borland
CNET News.com
June 22, 2004, 3:13 PM PT
Just hours after former U.S. president Bill Clinton finished a first round of book-signings for his new memoir, published Tuesday, autographed copies were selling on eBay for $250 and more.
Some of those copies hadn't even been signed yet. One St. Paul, Minn., seller named Jason Gabbert, an eBay regular and longtime Clinton fan, promised that his family and he had tickets to next week's Los Angeles book signing and were guaranteed a few autographed copies to sell.
"It's amazing the effect this guy has," said Gabbert, who has already sold a half-dozen autographed copies through eBay. "The demand on this Clinton stuff, it's a frenzy. He's a very popular guy, whether people want to admit it or not."
It wasn't just on eBay that the publication of Clinton's avidly anticipated memoir set off a surge of demand and interest, however.
The book, called "My Life," has been the subject of a publicity blitz over the past several weeks, including an hour-long interview on "60 Minutes" on Sunday night. It made the cover of Time magazine, and there have been stories in several newspapers about Clinton himself, about the book and even about the publicity of which those stories were a part.
For days before the memoir's release, the popular Drudge Report Web site ran a small section called "Clinton Summer," linking to assorted stories about the book.
That broad publicity blitz, along with Clinton's own still-strong popularity, has translated immediately into sales.
On the day of publication, the memoir became No. 1 on Amazon.com's list of top-selling books. But that wasn't all--the audio CD version was ranked No. 7, the large-print edition No. 8, and the audio cassette version ranked No. 24.
Like the people who stood in line for more than 24 hours to have a front place at the first book signing in Manhattan, at least one reader raced to be the first Amazon customer to post a review.
That reviewer, whose personal Amazon page identified him as a chaplain in Bloomington, Ill. named Kurt Messick, said he had found a bookstore that would let him purchase a copy at midnight on Monday. He gave the book generally good reviews, saying it compared favorably to past presidential autobiographies.
Other reviewers have been less kind. The New York Times' top reviewer called the book "sloppy, self-indulgent and often eye-crossingly dull." in a column entitled "A Pastiche of a Presidency" that was forwarded widely around the Web after its publication last Sunday. The Times did provide the entire first chapter of the book for readers who still wanted a look, however.
For bargain hunters, the Web quickly gave a leg up to people seeking a few dollars off the hefty $35 street price. On Tuesday, Amazon was offering a 40 percent discount, pricing the book at $21, while Walmart.com was selling it for $18.90.
"This smells like a PR trick."
Uh-huh! I can't imagine someone paying $250.00 buying a book you can get for as little as $17-something at a discount store, but then I wouldn't take the book if you paid me $250.00 to take it!
GAAAAAAACK!
On Rush's show, the sub, Mark Belling bought the book for his commentary today. He suggested Rush sign it, then put it up for bids on ebay.
An autographed copy of a book is sought after by bibliophiles. I doubt Clinton's book is worth the price, even with a genuine signature in it.
who says he didn't??
so those 'swarms' that waited for 18 hours to get a signed book were probably most interested in getting the copy up for sale on ebay ASAP...nothing wrong with that!.. They might EVEN be Republicans!
One thing that was common when Hillary Clinton was doing her book tour was that the copies were immediately put online at ebay. Some "fans" of the First Lady these people were.
www.bookfinder.com also allows you to see book dealers who sell signed and unsigned copies of books. Then again you can find the same book from different dealers for anywhere from $14.95 to $250 depending on how proud a book dealer is of his inventory.
You cannot never underestimate the stupidity of the Clinton Kool-aid crowd.
Bill Clinton, Paris Hilton, Jessica Simpson...I guess getting laid and being brainless pays today. How these fans handle their lives is beyond me. Are they the same type of people who go into mental overload watching paint dry?
LOL...That would be funny. "Special offer: We're selling the Clinton book AND the bathroom sink!...One can read his book and finish oneself off at the same time, just like Bill!"
actually $250 for signed first edition ain't crap!
That is probably the least I've seen
LOL...I think watching paint dry would be too overstimulating for these folks. Maybe watching continental drift is more their speed.
If Monica Lewinski and Paula Jones would get together, and offer the book with BOTH of their autographes afixed!
The gal that blew him up, and the gal that blew him down....
Talk about a "blow out"...
Semper Fi
You mean like Dan Rather's copy with the pages stuck together?
Yeah, that's true, but you'd have to actually touch the stinky thing and have it in your house! Sounds like pretty bad Ju-Ju to me!
Still wouldn't take it, no matter what the money was.
Do you want to have another go at this sentence? :-)
I would take it if someone paid me $250.00. No one said I had to keep it.
Taking advantage of rich RATS? I think there's a gold star in there for the both of you. Who says trickle-down economics doesn't work?
That is that much less money to be donated to John French Kerry.
Think of it as Evolution In Action
So9
Nothing more than the clinton advance team at work.
Oh, I don't know; he'd probably let you do it for free...
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