Despite the phenomenal name recognition Meghan Markle enjoys throughout the world, readers aren’t buying what she has to sell.
The Duchess of Sussex’s children’s book, “The Bench,” failed to crack the top 50 of U.K. book sales in the first week of its release, causing British tabloid, The Mirror, to snark that it is set to “make thousands.”
The 40-page book was inspired by a poem the Duchess wrote in celebration of her husband, Prince Harry’s, first Father’s Day. “That poem became this story,” Markle said in a press release, adding that her illustrator, Christian Robinson, “layered in beautiful and ethereal watercolor illustrations that capture the warmth, joy, and comfort of the relationship between fathers and sons from all walks of life.”
Managing editor of The Bookseller, Tom Tivan, told The Mirror, “At a little over 3,000 copies (3,212 to be exact) sold ‘The Bench’ is obviously not a huge bestseller in week one, it didn’t even make the top 50.” But he did caution that picture books can be “slow and steady” sellers, and Markle’s effort may have a long shelf life, allowing publisher Random House to recoup the hefty $700,000 advance it reportedly paid Markle.
“I don’t think that’s a disappointment for Penguin Random House Children’s as picture books generally don’t sell huge amounts starting out, even if the writer is the Duchess of Sussex,” Tivan said. “The aim is the long game as picture books tend to have a longer shelf life than adult titles. The idea is to keep them selling week in and week out and is not about a quick hit.”
Tivan also offered analysis on why Random House may not be too disappointed in the sales numbers. “I suspect what the publisher is doing is also playing the long game to try to get a toe in for the bigger prize: the full Harry/Meghan package,” he told the outlet, adding, “I think the plan is for some publisher to nab them for a multi-book deal for some eye-popping sum which I think could even exceed what PRH paid for the Obamas two books (around £46m). So publishing the children’s book can show the Sussexes what PRH can do.”
This isn’t the first time Markle’s book has been subject to mockery. As the Daily Wire previously reported, when Random House announced the title and subject matter, eagle-eyed critics immediately noticed its resemblance to another children’s book, “The Boy on the Bench,” which was published in the UK in 2018.
“The Boy on the Bench” author, Corrinne Averiss, was quick to defend Markle, however, tweeting, “Reading the description and published excerpt of the Duchess’s new book, this is not the same story or the same theme…I don’t see any similarities.”
Markle’s book doesn’t appear to be making much of a splash on her native shores either. Though it was released on June 8, it has yet to appear on The New York Times bestseller list for picture books.
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Source: Dailywire
