Mommy Life

May 10, 2007 7:39 AM

The Feminine Mistake: Nobody's buying

Cleaning out my inbox this morning. So sorry to anyone waiting for a response from me, but the past few weeks have been hectic. But there is some good stuff here. My good friend Mel (see Mel and Me) of Actual Unretouched Photo and the Amazing Shrinking Mom sent me this link a few weeks ago, about the much-hyped book The Feminine Mistake, which I blogged on (The Feminine Mistake: Yet another anti-SAHM woman seeking five minutes of fame) when it was released. From the New York Times, April 25, 2007:

Mommy Books - More Buzz than Buyers

The explosion of commentary on blogs and elsewhere about “The Feminine Mistake” joins a growing list of similar fracases stirred up by books that touch on the perennial dilemma of mostly upper-middle-class women: return to work or stay at home with the kids. But the truth is that, with rare exceptions (and it’s too early to say whether Ms. Bennetts’s book may be one of them), these so-called mommy books fail to transform their talk-show and blogosphere buzz into book sales. Talk, it turns out, is much cheaper than the $24.95 cover price.

“There is a lot of discussion out there about this issue and that’s why we’re having these books,” said Nancy Sheppard, vice president of marketing at Viking, which last year published “Get to Work: A Manifesto for Women of the World” by Linda R. Hirshman. “But it’s mostly just a discussion.”

Ms. Hirshman, who also argued that women should work outside the home to fulfill their human capacities and avoid economic dependency, appeared on “Good Morning America” and “The Colbert Report” after the book’s release in June, and the blogosphere went wild. But her book sold only 4,000 copies, according to Nielsen BookScan, which accounts for about 70 percent of sales in stores and online.

Click here for full article.

Only 4000 books sold? My goodness. I assumed when these people were on TV that they were selling way more than me. I guess that's not the case - and my almost 9000 copies of The Mommy Manual is respectable enough. At least I like to think that putting a positive message in mothers' hands is infinitely more rewarding than telling them they're all screwed up.

Btw, the above article also demonstrates that blogs are having more of an impact on women's daily lives than books. See my article in the Christian Science Monitor: Moms help moms through blogs.

To tell you the truth, I have stopped working on pitching book ideas and proposals to publishers. I'm perfectly happy being here with you.

Love,

Posted in Books, Mothering | Permalink

Comments

To tell you the truth, I have stopped working on pitching book ideas and proposals to publishers. I'm perfectly happy being here with you.

Aww shucks. :) Your words warmed my heart (and probably many other's hearts). Thank you for your willingness to share your thoughts, encouragement, and opinions with us each day. Your blog is one of my favorites!

Posted by: Sarah | May 10, 2007 11:20 AM

I found the whole thing to be so interesting! Things are not always as they appear on television!

Posted by: Mel | May 10, 2007 1:36 PM

We certainly feel honored to have you as a virtual mentor! Your blog is one of the few I read every day.

Posted by: Becky Miller | May 10, 2007 8:38 PM

Barbara, I can tell you that although I have read most of your books and loved them, I read your blog much more often. I don't always comment but I love coming here and I hope you keep giving us mommies your wisdom!

Honestly, I don't know that mommies in the trenches have time to read full books. I can't tell you how many parenting books I've started and never finished. I read blogs way more often than I read books. And if I do have time to read, I'd really rather read a crime or sci-fi novel. :) Blogs are way more manageable for moms with little kids. :) Thank you for investing so much time and effort into your blog!

Posted by: Lucy | May 11, 2007 9:54 PM

I was surprised about the numbers sold too, especially with all the chatter and publicity. Stumbled on here after writing my review of The Feminine Mistake. I don't know Actual Unretouched Photo IRL, but I read her blog. Small world!

Posted by: Becky | May 16, 2007 5:17 PM

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