Copies going Spare! Prince Harry’s new paperback version of his autobiography sits in 73rd place in book charts after selling just 3,000 in its second week

Prince Harry’s new paperback version of Spare has reached 73rd place in the UK charts, having sold just 3,000 copies in its second week of publication.

The Duke of Sussex chose not to give interviews to announce the paperback edition of his smash autobiography, which was released on October 24.

The publisher Penguin Random House confirmed that the book had not been updated from hardback form, which was seen as a somewhat unusual move for an international bestseller.

The hardback edition was published in January 2023 and broke bookstore records when it became Britain’s best-selling book last year, with more than 700,000 copies sold.

But Harry’s decision not to provide any publicity or updates for the paperback is likely to have had a negative impact on its potential sales figures and has caused it to be placed low outside the official UK Top 50.

The 3,000 copies sold are comparable to the 12,000 copies sold of Richard Osman’s latest novel or the almost 10,000 copies sold of Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat: Home To Roost.

Copies of Prince Harry’s memoir ‘Spare’ are pictured in a bookstore in London in January 2023

The reissue of Spare reprints Harry’s claims against his estranged family, including allegations that Prince William broke his necklace and pushed him onto a dog bowl that broke during a particularly explosive argument.

The hardcover version of Spare broke records and was Britain’s best-selling book last year

The duke also recalled private family conversations between himself, his father, King Charles III, and his brother.

It was claimed that William teased Harry about his panic attacks, Charles put his own interests ahead of his second son and saw Harry refer to his use of cocaine, marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms and his enjoyment of the TV show Friends.

Harry also highlighted the issues between his wife Meghan Markle and Kate – including the princess’s response to the Duchess of Sussex saying she had “baby brain”.

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 as the late queen lay dying.

In an American broadcast promoting the work, Harry labeled Camilla the “bad guy” and “dangerous”, accusing her of rehabilitating her image at the expense of his.

A customer holds copies of ‘Spare’ in a London bookstore during a midnight opening in 2023

A poster 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” than 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 contents of the book are unchanged.”

Questions were raised about whether Harry would update his memoirs with a new chapter, given everything that has happened within the royal family over the past year.

This has led to the further breakdown of his relationships with his family, the King’s cancer – prompting Harry to fly to London to see his father for just 30 minutes – and his children, Archie and Lilibet, to become Prince and Princess .

Harry’s choice not to add to the revelations was seen by some observers as an olive branch and an attempt to improve relations 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 both print and audio worldwide.

The title, written by journalist JR Moehringer, also set a new Guinness World Record for the fastest-selling nonfiction book of all time.

The English-language edition sold over 1,430,000 copies 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.

An unabridged audio edition of the book, read by Harry, was also published by Penguin Random House Audio.

The first American printing of Spare amounted to two million copies, but 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, despite it only being released in hardback at the time.

Harry was believed to have received a £16 million ($20 million) advance in June 2021 as part of a £32 million ($40 million) four-book deal after a bidding war.

On release the book sold for £14, off 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 showed that Prince Harry’s book Spare sold more than 700,000 copies in Britain last year, making it the country’s best-selling book of 2023.

But Osman pointed out that people were wrongly suggesting the book was not a success because it was heavily on sale or on the shelves of charity shops.

He said on his podcast The Rest Is Entertainment at the time: ‘Harry doesn’t make less money if it’s half price. He makes exactly the same if you charge $28 and if you charge $14. He also sells a lot in America.

‘In America the royalties are absolutely insane because they pay a lot of money for books in America. So he made a lot of money from that book.’

Penguin Random House has been contacted for comment.