(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
There’s a reason we have not heard much about the much-hyped release.
On top of being a perpetual presence on the news networks the Parkland school shooting activist David Hogg was set to take over the publishing world. It was announced in April that he, with his co-author sister Laren, had struck a book deal, and that set off another round of journalist attention. With the backing of the media complex it would be a can’t-miss publishing hit, with proceeds said to be going to the anti-gun cause.
Entitled #Never Again: A New Generation Draws The Line there was a quick turnaround time for the release, less than two months. This would be supported with a promotional push and then followed by a summer-long tour that Hogg would undertake to rally young voters to become active anti-gun voices with Washington politicians. It is an ambitious 60 day/75 city sweep across the country.
But curiously I have heard very little about the ballyhooed book. There were some breathless reports surrounding some of Hogg’s visits, and there was a brief dust up when he was spotted at a New York City stop with armed security. But otherwise nothing much about the book.
Released the first week of June, the true book tour kicked off on the 19th, with a visit to the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Fallon is an avowed supporter, having backed the March For Our Lives, and he flew down to South Florida to speak at the graduation ceremony for Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The promo blitz was to follow. But what became of the release?
Coming in at a trim 176 pages, and priced at $9.95 retail, the paperback was poised to fly off of shelves. Except the title had not been featured on too many news reports following the push. Finally #Never Again made an appearance on the New York Times Bestseller list, appearing at #8 on the Non-fiction Paperback chart. Except that does not tell us much.
The NY Times list is known for being a heavily editorialized compilation of book popularity. Titles that are clearly outselling others may not appear on the Times’ list, and others may be placed with little reasoning as to why. (The memoir Shoe Dog by Nike founder Phil Knight has recently been all over the non-fiction chart, but not seen on other lists based on sales.) Seeing #Never Again on the chart says little, especially since The Times does not provide actual sales figures.
Looking through a few weeks on the Amazon charts did not show the book. There are numerous categories and the site compiles its list with 20 titles, but Hogg does not appear. Neither was the book found on the Barnes & Noble lists. This would take going to the industry monitor, Publishers Weekly, to get some answers.
The PW charts are extensively categorized, and further expanded to a top-25 format. Finally I spied #Never Again, making a new appearance on the July 2 Trade Paperback list — at #25. By that chart the book had sold only 3,741 units since its release on June 5. To provide a sense of scale, the top seller on that list was a 350 page novel set in Glasgow, Scotland, that had sold well over 15,000 copies — for the week.
The cheap and light anti-gun treatise from Hogg was trailing significantly. In the following weeks it does not manage to crack the PW. Allowing for some dwindling sales in those weeks following it is fair to say the book has sold near the 5,000 mark. The miniscule gross sales of $50,000 are further diminished when you factor in the retail cut, cost of publishing, and the expense of kiting Hogg around on his book tour.
Hogg has been proven to be an activist who does not particularly move the social needle. His anti-gun tirades have led to some minor legislation changes, but as the general public has shown they are reacting against the messaging. Gun sales have mushroomed, the NRA has seen its membership expand, and most voters still staunchly support the Second Amendment.
Considering that he was granted massive press support, his book deal was widely reported, and the release highly touted in media circles to see that result in barely a few thousand copies being sold is a testament to the lack of influence Hogg actually possesses. He may shoot his mouth off on TV, but he cannot hit a target when selling his message.
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