Meghan Markle’s book The Bench fails to break into UK sales Top 50 – but expert claims she’ll still make thousands
IT may have been one of the most hotly anticipated children's books in recent memory - but Meghan Markle's The Bench has failed to break into the Top 50 for UK sales in its first week.
The Bench sold just 3,212 copies in its first week of publication and has an average rating of four stars, The Mirror reports.
He said: “The aim is the long game as picture books tend to have a longer shelf life than adult titles.
“The idea is to keep them selling week in and week out and is not about a quick hit.
"Meghan's was the bestselling picture book of the week, though as it sold 500 more copies than Julia Donaldson's What the Ladybird Heard at the Seaside."
She was beaten by none other than Marcus Rashford with his book ‘You Are A Champion.’
‘The Bench’ suffered a rocky start after it creeped to just number 100 on the Amazon chart but soared too number five on the website’s UK Children’s Books list.
Tom thinks that this is a strategic move by the publisher, to play a “long game” that could see the couple sign a multi-book deal for an eye-watering amount – much like the Obamas.
The children’s book divided opinions amongst readers online, with The Telegraph’s Claire Allfree labelling it a “semi-literate vanity project.”
One reviewer wrote: “There isn’t a lot of positives to be found. It’s not engaging and cannot justify its classification as a children’s book. It’s a sentimental with a somewhat sanctimonious overtone.”
But a more supportive reader commented: “The poem throughout is lovely Don’t really understand the negative reviews, it’s a beautiful book and clearly meant more for a Father or parent to read and give them a smile. My children loved looking at the pictures and pointing out ‘daddy’, but it made my husband tear up".
Footballer Marcus Rashford took the crown from Meghan with his book, which sold a massive 10,564 copies in the past week.
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