Hillary Really, Really, Really Wants You to Know She Made Hard Choices

[Courtesy of Digitas Daily]

Viewer’s of CNN’s pep rally town hall with Hillary Clinton on Tuesday wondered if the former First Lady was contractually obligated to name-drop her book title every 13.5 seconds. The answer to nearly every question led Clinton to recall something she wrote in her book, Hard Choice. Even CNNs Christiane Amanpour, who moderated “Hillary Clinton’s Hard Choices,” couldn’t help herself, pitching Hillary’s book at every opportunity.

Disappointing first week sales may have inspired Hillary Clinton to constantly remind the viewing audience that she’s hawking her new book. Simon & Schuster said this week that the book sold roughly 100,000 copies from the Tuesday when it was released through the following Saturday. That 100,000 number includes includes pre-orders and e-books which get rolled into the first-day sales.

Clinton received an advance of $14 million for the book, significantly more than the $8 million advance she was paid for her first memoir, Living History, which sold 600,000 copies in its first week. That book generated significantly more interest because Clinton dished on some of the scandals the family has been embroiled in over the years.

In comparison, Laura Bush was reportedly paid $3.5 – $5 million in advance for her autobiography, Spoken from the Heart, which sold 147,000 copies in its first week of sales. Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s book, Going Rogue, sold over 460,000 copies its first week. She reportedly received an advance of $1.25 million for the book.