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herbertwest
01-22-2012, 11:27 AM
Does anyone have sales figures about Stephen King books?

I was reading a french anthology, and in the "news" part of this anthology, it was written that Publishers Weekly recently published a list of the authors that sold the most books in the 90s (so a decade).
In the order, was John Grisham, Stephen King (38.3 million books), then Danielle Steel (close from King).
The article was from 2000, but i dont have it.

[edit : it's available on CNN's website : http://edition.cnn.com/1999/books/news/12/31/1990.sellers/index.html ]

I was wondering if Publishers Weekly published a similar listing regarding 2000s?
And... any more figures, for instance, 70-90s? :-)

Randall Flagg
01-22-2012, 11:49 AM
Some of the articles in the Catalog have sales figures, but I haven't seen a current and or accurate list.
Members?

jhanic
01-22-2012, 11:54 AM
Here's what my records say for the trade editions of King's works (this does NOT include the limiteds):

Carrie 30000
Salem’s Lot 20000
The Shining 25000
Night Shift 12000
The Stand 70000
Dead Zone 80000
Firestarter 100000
Cujo 150000
Danse Macabre 60000
The Gunslinger 10000
Different Seasons 200000
Christine 250000
Pet Sematary 250000
The Talisman 600000
Skeleton Crew 500000
Bachman Books 15000
It 1000000
Eyes of the Dragon 400000
Drawing of the Three 30000
The Tommyknockers 1200000
Nightmares in the Sky ?
My Pretty Pony 15000
The Dark Half 1200000
Four Past Midnight 1200000
The Uncut Stand 400000
The Waste Lands 30000
Gerald’s Game 1500000
Dolores Claiborne 1500000
Nightmares and Dreamscapes 1500000
Insomnia ?
Rose Madder 1750000
Green Mile paperbacks 2000000 each
Desperation 1750000
The Regulators 1250000
Wizard and Glass 40000
Bag of Bones 1300000
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon 1250000
Hearts in Atlantis ?
On Writing 500000
The Green Mile hardcover 70000
Dreamcatcher ?
Black House 200000000
Everything’s Eventual 253750
From a Buick 8 1750000
Revised Gunslinger 60000
Wolves of the Calla 660000
Song of Susannah 650000
The Dark Tower 700000
Faithful ?
Illustrated Salem’s Lot 25000
Colorado Kid paperback 1000000
Cell 1100000
Lisey’s Story 1250000
Duma Key 1000000
Just After Sunset 900000
Under the Dome 950000
Blockade Billy 10000
Full Dark, No Stars 1200000
11/22/63 ?

I want to add that these are for the first printings as much as I know. No additional printings.

Any corrections or additions would be appreciated.

John

herbertwest
01-23-2012, 12:50 PM
So only for the first printing. But over how long?

THat's what i like about Publishers Weekly figure. There is no detail, but we know that over 10 years he sold.. Would be great if we could get from 80-2010 how much books were sold..
Should maybe ask on the official forum.

biomieg
01-23-2012, 01:11 PM
I think John listed print runs, not sales figures.

Randall Flagg
01-23-2012, 01:18 PM
So only for the first printing. But over how long?

THat's what i like about Publishers Weekly figure. There is no detail, but we know that over 10 years he sold.. Would be great if we could get from 80-2010 how much books were sold..
Should maybe ask on the official forum.
Perhaps you should. Please share the answer with us.

jhanic
01-23-2012, 01:51 PM
I think John listed print runs, not sales figures.

I guess you're right. What I listed were the published numbers for the first printings.

John

herbertwest
01-24-2012, 01:02 PM
Marsha on the official forum :
"We've never kept track to be able to have a running total of book sales. If PW has published them in the past, I'm not aware of it. I'd asked his business manager within the past year if they had ever kept any record, but they've never done that either."

http://www.stephenking.com/forums/showthread.php/24325-Sales-figures

Randall Flagg
01-24-2012, 01:47 PM
King obviously doesn't get paid by the individual book sale.

herbertwest
01-24-2012, 02:07 PM
I was thinking the exact same thing.

@Jhanic : isnt there a mistake in your figures for Black House? It seems oddly way more than the previous and later 1st prints...

Bev Vincent
01-24-2012, 02:07 PM
He does, in effect, but it would be a headache to keep track of all that information, and to what end?

I could probably tell you how many copies of The Road to the Dark Tower have been sold, but I'd have to go through 7 years of semi-annual royalty statements (about six pages each!) to be sure. And that's just for one book from one publisher in one country.

Randall Flagg
01-24-2012, 02:13 PM
Under The Dome figures were confidential, but according to this from Publishers Weekly should be between 855K and 912K:

8. The Host: A Novel. Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown (912,165).
9. *Under the Dome. Stephen King. Scribner
10. Pirate Latitudes. Michael Crichton. Harper (855,638).

Randall Flagg
01-24-2012, 02:17 PM
Duma Key was listed as 595,000. It's buried in the runner's up art:
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20090323/1686-bestselling-books-2009-hardcover-old-and-new-.html

Just After Sunset was listed as 565,000

Bev Vincent
01-24-2012, 06:06 PM
The thing about printing figures is that they are routinely over-stated by the publisher. I don't know why, but it's part of sme sort of game.

Patrick
01-24-2012, 06:09 PM
The thing about printing figures is that they are routinely over-stated by the publisher. I don't know why, but it's part of sme sort of game.

I guess everyone likes to think they have the biggest PrINt rUnS.

pathoftheturtle
02-09-2012, 06:22 AM
Could someone share data on how well each of SK's books have sold?

Sorry if there's already a listing posted elsewhere, feel free to merge. I just didn't want to go doing research that a bunch of you have probably got handy.

CRinVA
02-09-2012, 01:44 PM
I believe that informatin is well kept at charnellhouse.com; in fact the proprietor there, Kevin Quigley, also wroet a chapbook on that subject and its available at CD Pubs for about a buck as anb efile upload. Its called The Chart of Darkness.

mae
03-16-2012, 11:18 AM
Are those first edition print runs correct. If so that information should be added to the First Edition wiki pages here. Also, a few books are missing their print runs. Is that available anywhere?

Randall Flagg
03-16-2012, 04:40 PM
Are those first edition print runs correct. If so that information should be added to the First Edition wiki pages here. Also, a few books are missing their print runs. Is that available anywhere?
Some are there and most are not. It's difficult if not impossible to obtain true print runs/sales for 1st edition books. Collectors clamor for 1st editions, but King loves the 15th printing of a book-more money in his pocket.