Today on his website Boortz posts the following about the Fair Tax Book 2nd edition paperback:
"Yesterday we got the first numbers for sales of the soft cover edition of The FairTax Book. We debuted as No. 3! Now ... a little historical perspective. In the 1950's Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Weisel's book "Night" debuted as No 1. on the New York Times paperback list. Then in 1966 Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood" debuted as No. 2. Now, in 2006, The FairTax Book debuts as No. 3! This is the highest first week for a paperback in 40 years!"
First of all, I am NOT disputing that FairTax Book will be at #3 on the NYT NONFICTION PAPERBACK book list when the list comes out next week. But the rest of Boortz's over-the-top comparisons are simply flat-out wrong.
First, "Night" by Weisel is #1 on the NYT Nonfiction Paperback book list right now, TODAY, and probably also next week as well. It is the OPRAH book of the moment.
Second, "In True Blood" by Capote is #2 on the NYT Nonfiction Paperback book list right now, TODAY, and probably also next week as well. It is tied in with the movie CAPOTE.
SOURCE: http://www.nytimes.com/pages/books/bestseller/index.html
PAPERBACK NONFICTION (as of May 11 on website)
Top 5 at a Glance
1. NIGHT, by Elie Wiesel
2. IN COLD BLOOD, by Truman Capote
3. THE COVENANT WITH BLACK AMERICA.
4. MY LIFE SO FAR, by Jane Fonda
5. THE TIPPING POINT, by Malcolm Gladwell
So, of course Boortz is confused about whatever the NYT sent him about his book and thinks that his book is #3 highest all-time debut instead of #3 for a single week, with two books over forty years old ahead of his beloved tome.
He is either stupid or can't read. I am not taking anything away from a #3 debut on any list, even if it is the Non-Fiction Paperback list. But he can't stop there, he needs to claim highest debut in over forty years for a paperback.
Does he even think? Isn't it likely that when the Clinton bios came out in paperback they debuted at #1 on the paperback lists?
There are probably many nonfiction paperback books that came out in the past 40 years that opened in the top 3 on the non-fiction paperback list, this is a relatively low-volume list to start with (compared with Fiction numbers).
Here's a few from the last year:
Million Little Pieces debuted at #1 on NYT Non-Fiction Paperback list on October 9, 2005.
Worth More Dead debuted at #3 (same as Boortz) on Dec 18, 2005.
NIGHT (reissue) debuted at #1 on Feb 5, 2006.
Best Paperback Debut in over 40 years-- GIVE ME A BREAK.
Why does Boortz have to misrepresent everything?
Because he is a puffball.
I am amazed at how nice he is all of a sudden to his callers because now he needs them to prop up this book. Time was when I enjoyed hearing him tear into criminals and crime but now it is just one day long advertisement for his tax idea.