New York Times' Kavanaugh Book Flops, Sales Come in Way Under Expectations: Report
A controversial new book examining sexual assault allegations leveled against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his Senate confirmation last year has reportedly under-delivered in the sales department.
Written by New York Times reporters Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly, “The Education of Brett Kavanaugh: An Investigation” originally had Democrats stumbling over each other to call for his impeachment.
In the view of Democrats and the establishment media, the book would solidify the case against Kavanaugh and expose another slew of damning allegations.
But the book has done nothing of the sort, with sales underwhelming since its Sept. 17 release, according to the Washington Examiner.
The book was expected to sell between 10,000 and 12,000 copies in the first two weeks of its release, the Examiner reported.
That hasn’t happened. In fact, sales haven’t come anywhere close to meeting expectations.
New York Times anti-Kavanaugh Book Deemed an ‘Epic Bomb;’ Only 3,120 Sold https://t.co/lganiplWKx
— Debra Heine (@NiceDeb) October 4, 2019
Pogrebin and Kelly have moved just 3,120 physical units of the book, according to the latest BookScan numbers provided to the outlet by an anonymous publishing source.
Those numbers make up approximately 80 percent of total sales, the source told the Examiner, adding that with the inclusion of electronic copies, “they may have sold a total of 4,000.”
“That’s one of the most epic bombs in political publishing over the past decade,” the source said.
The anti-Kavanaugh book registered at No. #8,432 on Amazon’s bestseller list Friday.
Pogrebin and Kelly caught heavy flak in the days leading up to the book’s release when The Times published a provocative excerpt in its “News Analysis” section.
Originally devoid of potentially exculpatory details briefly touched on in the book — details like Kavanaugh’s alleged victim having no memory of being assaulted, according to her friends — The Times’ preview led to nearly round-the-clock re-circulation of the allegations against the justice by establishment media outlets.
As the topic dominated the news cycle, some Democratic senators and 2020 presidential primary candidates sought re-litigation of the justice’s confirmation.
Outrage was sparked among conservatives, however, when The Federalist’s Mollie Hemingway — having received an early copy of the book — revealed on Twitter that The Times had withheld some information in the excerpt.
Hemingway’s bombshell revelation did devastating damage to the veracity of the new book and the reputation of the writers, who in turn blamed their employer and congressional Democrats for the controversy.
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