Melville House Books

Lest we forget

It’s number five on the New York Times bestseller list — but is Sarah Palin‘s second book, America by Heart a flop? Yes, says the Washington Post.

According to a Post report by Paul Farhi, “Sarah Palin’s magic touch might be fading a bit. Although several of her recent projects have been successful, Palin’s latest book isn’t one of them.” According to Farhi, the book “has logged disappointing receipts” and hasn’t gone into a second printing — “a sign that sales haven’t been overly brisk.”

Nor has the paperback version of Palin’s previous book, Going Rogue, done very well — reports Farhi, it “has not made the bestseller lists or gone into reprint since it was issued with a new afterword by Palin in August.” This, despite the fact that the hardcover sold a whopping 2.2 million copies.

Not only that, says Farhi, but after Palin’s reality series “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” “scored record ratings” for its debut, “ratings subsequently dipped.”

What gives?

Duh. Says Farhi, “One theory within the publishing industry is that Palin is overexposed, at least in terms of drawing readers.”

People with other theories are invited to comment.

Dennis Johnson is the founder of MobyLives, and the co-founder and co-publisher of Melville House.