Malcolm Turnbull’s autobiography, A Bigger Picture, released four days ago, Monday 20 April, is already set to be a bestseller. 
“We could not be happier with sales for A Bigger Picture. With over 50 000 copies sold in four days it’s an immediate best-seller,” said Roxy Ryan Hardie Grant Books Managing Director.
Days before the book was released the book was rocketing up the pre-order charts to hit the coveted number one position on online retailer Amazon.com.au as well as Booktopia and Dymocks. David Gaunt, of Sydney bookseller Gleebooks said ‘‘Best sales in a day of a single title since Harry (Potter)”.
With official Nielsen Bookscan charts not due out for another week, early indications tell us it is a bestseller across all manner of retail from independent bookstores and chains to department stores and online.
‘We’ve been really delighted with the sale of Malcolm Turnbull’s book. We’ve sold more than 3 300 copies since it’s release 3 days ago,’ said Jo Lewin of Booktopia on Thursday afternoon.
Journalist and bookseller Corrie Perkin said “The sales success of Malcolm Turnbull’s memoir confirms what independent booksellers have known for years: Australians are politically-engaged, they are smart, and they relish any opportunity to learn more about leadership shenanigans, party breakdowns, and the men and women who run our nation.”
Since the book’s release Turnbull and Hardie Grant have been criticised by the coalition and parts of the media for publishing the candid autobiography whilst Australia is in the midst of a pandemic. However, struggling booksellers have praised the author and publisher as brave for forging ahead in a time when they are fighting to stay afloat.
“With so many changes going on in retail right now, I think publishers have been frightened to release big books into the market. I think the success of Malcolm’s book shows this is actually a great time to release major titles – our consumers are at home and hungry to consume content other than our current COVID heavy news cycle,” said Jo Lewin of Booktopia.
Hardie Grant initially printed 45 000 copies of A Bigger Picture and was delighted to press print on a second run of 15 000 copies the day after publication. They are now looking at a third print run to keep up with demand.
Full quotes from Hardie Grant and retailers across the country:
“We could not be happier with sales for A Bigger Picture. With over 50 000 copies sold in four days it’s an immediate best-seller. This couldn’t have come at a better time for the book industry, and it’s been especially gratifying to get such great feedback from booksellers. We have just approved our second reprint, and expect many more reprints to come.”
- Roxy Ryan, Hardie Grant Books
“We’ve been really delighted with the sale of Malcolm Turnbull’s book. We’ve sold more than 3,300 copies since it’s release 3 days ago.
With so many changes going on in retail right now, I think publishers have been frightened to release big books into the market. I think the success of Malcolm’s book shows this is actually a great time to release major titles – our consumers are at home and hungry to consume content other than our current COVID heavy news cycle.
It’s rare to have a former prime minister who is really brave enough to write the book the public wants to read. Those with ongoing political careers can be too conciliatory, too polite, too tactful. Malcolm has really given us the tell all that the country was after and this is why his book is outselling some of the other ex-PM bios we’ve seen in recent years.”
- Jo Lewin, Booktopia
“We are really pleased with the sales of Malcolm Turnbull’s, A Bigger Picture. It has been our fastest selling biography for 2020. It’s great to have a book that is attracting so much public interest and selling so well.”
- Sharyn Villaverde, Dymocks
“The sales success of Malcolm Turnbull’s memoir confirms what independent booksellers have known for years: Australians are politically-engaged, they are smart, and they relish any opportunity to learn more about leadership shenanigans, party breakdowns, and the men and women who run our nation.
Hardie Grant deserves huge bouquets for backing this book and for having the courage to release it during a global health crisis. And we should all acknowledge Mr Turnbull for having the courage to write his own life story, and for making public his assessment of his prime ministership, his contribution, and his political demise.”
- Corrie Perkin, bookseller (My Bookshop) and award-winning journalist
“Best sales in a single day since Harry (Potter).”
- David Gaunt, gleebooks
“We have not been able to keep Malcolm Turnbull’s A Bigger Picture on the shelf! It sells and sells (especially online) and I have been doing daily re-orders to keep up with demand! This is a challenging time for bookshops, so it is wonderful to have a title that is a very good sale at $55 and simply flies off the shelf.”
- Graeme, The Bookshop Darlinghurst
“The book has been flying off the shelves and we have re-ordered repeatedly, and we still keep selling out. He is well respected here in his former electorate, many of whom have always followed his story and are excited to make sense of the most recent chapter. “
- Jane, Gertrude and Alice Café
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