Taylor Swift's formidable influence shone brightly last week, as a mere single retail chain propelled her "Eras Tour Book" to the summit of sales charts and marked it as the year 2024's most impressive publishing debut. Circana's figures reveal that during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, Swift's tome sold an astonishing 814,000 copies. While Circana covers approximately 85% of the print market, the "Eras" figures are unassailably accurate, as Swift exclusively partnered with Target for the book's release, timing it perfectly with Black Friday.
Remarkably, these sales skyrocketed despite Swift's omission of Amazon.com and other retailers. Online, some fans voiced their disappointment, noting typos and other errors within the $39.99 book. However, representatives from both Target and Swift remained tight-lipped, declining immediate comment on Wednesday.
Swift's sales accomplishment places her in elite company. The only nonfiction launch to surpass it was Barack Obama's "A Promised Land," the first volume of his presidential memoirs, which sold 816,000 copies in its debut week of 2020, according to Circana's figures that exclude audio and e-book sales. It's worth noting, however, that Obama's memoir was available through all major retailers, whereas Circana's tracking of "Eras Tour Book" is confined to its first weekend sales.
Swift has a history of orchestrating exclusive, unconventional releases. Prior to her "Eras" concert film in 2023, she bypassed Hollywood studios, instead collaborating directly with AMC Theatres and Cinemark Theatres. "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" has grossed over $200 million at the box office, securing its place as the highest-grossing concert film in history.
Even before the publication of the "Eras" book, Swift had already carved out a niche within the publishing industry, inspiring biographies, romance novels, fashion collections, coloring books, and even a cocktail recipe book titled "Shake It Up." Another top seller in 2024, according to Circana, is Wendy Loggia's "Taylor Swift: A Little Golden Book Biography," which pays homage to the cherished Little Golden Book tradition, reminiscent of classics like "The Three Bears" and "The Whispering Rabbit."
