I’ve seen quite a few news items — AP and others — about The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez by Selena Roberts becoming a book-business case of “three strikes, you’re out.” In spite of a nationwide retail slump in bookstores, Harper Collins was evidently hoping to pull off the old magic trick that has worked for publishers for so many years: making a killing with a tabloid blockbuster. They rolled 150,000 copies of Roberts’ book off the presses.
But a funny thing has happened: so far, the book has reportedly sold only 16,000 copies. Even New Yorkers were not rushing to read about A-Rod’s woes.
Sure, there were bad reviews – that too much of the story was shopworn from the news, that the author didn’t dig deep enough on her research, etc. etc. And it isn’t the first time in recent history that a much-touted title by or about a celebrity has laid an egg in the bookstores.
But is it possible — just possible — that Americans’ seemingly endless appetite for tabloid tales is finally waning? Especially in sports? That they’re finally tired of hearing about steroids and other abuses that make sports into a joke? That the deepening recession — growing hordes of people out of money, out of a job, out of their homes — has made it hard for them to swallow yet another negative story about a highly-paid sports star who took the millions and ran?
So what happens to a book that dies on first base? The stores mark it down to $2 and put it on the yard-sale table. Unshipped copies in the warehouse get shuffled to some used-book jobber.
Meanwhile, in sports, the real markdown may be happening on the human plane. More and more fans are staying away from sports venues because they can’t afford the seat…and also possibly because they are heartbroken and weary of watching their favorite athletes crash and burn.
on Jun 13th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
I don’t think anyone is staying away from games because of steroids or any other issue except the economy.
on Jun 14th, 2009 at 1:31 am
Alex is an awesome ball player and was a great young kid coming up under Lou. Seattle loved him until he went for the big bucks. Can’t blame him either since he’d never see a ring staying at Seattle. Seems he’s turned into a somewhat not so nice adult though. I hope that’s not true. Jeeter’s the dude I have a problem with. One of the best who has played the game though.
on Jun 14th, 2009 at 10:34 am
It’s also tanking because all the salacious details were known before the book even came out. From everything I heard, there was nothing in the book that wasn’t already talked about ad nauseum on sports TV and radio shows. No point in buying the cow when we got the milk for free.
on Jun 15th, 2009 at 9:58 am
George hit it on the head: The book is like the comedy movie with all the good jokes in the preview. “A-Rod” broke the story on his steroid use, but the rest of the book is assumption and innuendo from anonymous sources. Selena Roberts makes far too many reaches of what Alex MAY have been thinking or MAY have been doing, but has far, far too little. Easily one of the worst buys of my adult life.