Spare’s new Prince Harry paperback is languishing at number 73 in the UK charts after selling just 3,000 copies in its second week of publication.
The Duke of Sussex chose not to grant interviews to publicize the paperback edition of his explosive autobiography that came out on October 24.
Its publisher, Penguin Random House, confirmed that the book was not updated from its hardcover version, which is considered a somewhat unusual move for an international bestseller.
The hardcover edition came out in January 2023, breaking bookstore records by becoming the best-selling book in Britain last year, with more than 700,000 copies sold.
But Harry’s decision not to give publicity or updates for the paperback is likely to have affected potential sales and given it a lowly place outside the official UK Top 50.
The 3,000 copies sold compares to the 12,000 copies sold for Richard Osman’s latest novel or the almost 10,000 sold for Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat: Home To Roost.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle outside St Paul’s Cathedral in London on June 3, 2022
Copies of Prince Harry’s memoir ‘Spare’ are displayed in a London bookstore in January 2023.
The Spare reissue contains a reprint of claims made by Harry against his estranged family, including accusations that Prince William broke his collar and pushed him over a dog bowl that broke during a particularly explosive fight.
The hardback version of Spare broke records and was the best-selling book in Britain last year.
The duke also recalled private family conversations between himself, his father, King Charles III, and his brother.
He claimed that William mocked Harry for his panic attacks, that Charles put his own interests before those of his second son, and saw Harry make reference to using cocaine, marijuana, and psychedelic mushrooms and his enjoyment of the television show Friends.
Harry also highlighted the difficulties between his wife Meghan Markle and Kate, including the princess’s reaction when the Duchess of Sussex said she had “baby brains.”
And he used the book to claim that William called Meghan “difficult”, “rude” and “abrasive”, and that Charles refused to allow Meghan to join Harry in Scotland while the late queen was dying.
In an American broadcast to promote the play, Harry called Camilla “villainous” and “dangerous,” accusing her of rehabilitating her image at the expense of his.
A customer holds up copies of ‘Spare’ in a London bookstore during a midnight opening in 2023.
A sign advertises the midnight opening of a WH Smith store in London to sell Spare last year.
As Harry continued a series of high-profile promotional interviews, he said he would like “nothing more” for his children to have relationships with the Royal Family.
Penguin Random House announced on August 26 that the paperback version of Spare would be published in 16 languages worldwide, with the same cover image and newly designed packaging, but “the content of the book has not changed.”
Questions were raised about whether Harry would update his memoirs with a new chapter, considering that has happened within the Royal Family over the past year.
This has caused his relationships with his family to continue to break down, the King to be diagnosed with cancer (which caused Harry to fly to London to see his father for just 30 minutes) and his children, Archie and Lilibet, to become Prince and Princess.
Some observers have seen Harry’s decision not to add more revelations as an olive branch and an attempt to try to improve his relationship with his family.
Spare became an instant publishing sensation when it was first published on January 10 last year, selling more than six million copies in print and audio worldwide.
The title, written by journalist JR Moehringer, also set a new Guinness World Record as the best-selling nonfiction book of all time.
The English edition sold over 1,430,000 units across all formats and editions in the US, Canada and the UK on its first day of publication.
Spare was published in a total of 16 languages worldwide and was released simultaneously in print and digital formats in North America by Random House US and Random House Canada, and in the United Kingdom by Transworld.
Penguin Random House Audio also published an unabridged audio edition of the book, read by Harry.
The first American printing of Spare was two million copies, however the book was reprinted for additional copies to meet demand.
In April, fellow author Osman claimed that Harry had already made £22 million ($27 million) from Spare even though it was only available in hardcover at the time.
Harry was understood to have secured a £16 million ($20 million) advance as part of a £32 million ($40 million) four-book deal in June 2021 following a bidding war.
Upon release, the book was selling for £14, not the recommended retail price of £28, in UK stores such as Waterstones and WH Smith, as well as online at Amazon.
Data obtained by The Bookseller in January found that Prince Harry’s book Spare sold more than 700,000 copies in Britain last year, making it the country’s best-selling book in 2023.
But Osman said people were wrong to suggest the book was not a success because it was heavily discounted or on charity shop shelves.
He said at the time on his The Rest Is Entertainment podcast: “Harry doesn’t make less money if it’s half price.” He earns exactly the same if you charge $28 and if you charge $14. In addition, it sells a lot in the United States.
‘In the United States, royalties are crazy because they pay a lot of money for books. So he’s made a huge amount of money from that book.
Penguin Random House has been contacted for comment.
