English language edition of Spare sells more than 1.4 million copies on day one
Connie Evans and Laura Elston, PA
The English language edition of the controversial memoir by Britain's Prince Harry sold more than 1.4 million copies on its first day of publication.
Penguin Random House, who published the headline-grabbing autobiography Spare on Tuesday, have reported their largest ever first-day sales total for any nonfiction book published by the company.
According to the publisher, the English language edition of Spare sold more than 1,430,000 units in all formats and editions in the United States, Canada and the UK on January 10th when it first hit bookshop shelves.
Speaking about the record sales, president and publisher of the Random House Group Gina Centrello said: “While many books by public figures can be fairly categorised as ‘celebrity memoir,’ Spare is not that.
“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.
“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.”
The book includes claims that Harry's brother William physically attacked him and teased him about his panic attacks, and that his father Charles put his own interests above Harry’s and was jealous of his sons wives, Meghan and Kate.
In a US broadcast promoting the work, Harry branded Charles' wife Camilla the “villain” and “dangerous”, accusing her of rehabilitating her image at the expense of his.
Spare was published in a total of 16 languages worldwide and was released simultaneously in print and digital formats in North America by Random House US and Random House Canada, and in the UK by Transworld.
An unabridged audio edition of the book, read by Harry, was also published by Penguin Random House Audio.
The first US printing of Spare was two million copies, however the book has now gone back to press for additional copies to meet demand, according to Penguin Random House.
Harry continued a run of high profile promotional interviews, he said he “would like nothing more” than for his children to have relationships with the British royal family.
His remarks about his son and daughter came despite the criticism he has levelled at William, Charles and Camilla.
Bookshops in the UK opened early on Tuesday to offer Harry’s book – but queues were sparse after leaks ahead of the publication, with industry experts predicting Spare would be one of the best-selling pre-order titles of the past decade.
In the UK the book is being sold for £14, not the recommended retail price of £28, in many retailers, including Waterstones and WH Smith, as well as online at Amazon.
