NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Just one retail chain was enough for to have the top-selling book last week and the biggest opening week of 2024.
According to Circana, Swift's 鈥淓ras Tour Book鈥� sold 814,000 copies over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Circana tracks around 85% of the print market, but the 鈥淓ras鈥� numbers are more precise: Swift sold the book exclusively through Target, which launched the 鈥淓ras鈥� tie-in on Black Friday.
Sales soared even as Swift skipped Amazon.com and other retailers and as some fans complained online that the book included typos and other errors. Representatives for Target and Swift did not immediately respond to requests Wednesday for comment.
As measured by Circana, which does not include audio and e-book sales, the only nonfiction book to have a better debut than 鈥淓ras鈥� is the first volume of Barack Obama's presidential memoirs. Obama's 鈥淎 Promised Land鈥� sold just over 816,000 copies in 2020, but, unlike the Swift book, was available through all major outlets.
Swift has arranged exclusive, non-traditional releases before. For her 鈥淓ras鈥� concert film, which came out in 2023, she bypassed Hollywood studios and worked directly with AMC Theatres and Cinemark Theatres. 鈥淭aylor Swift: The Eras Tour鈥� has made more than $200 million at the box office and stands as the highest grossing concert movie in history.
Hillel Italie, The Associated Press
