Billed as a 1,000-page love letter ‘to herself,’ Barbra Streisand’s blockbuster $47 memoir has didn’t sway the better public, information gross sales statistics present.
Revealed in early November, ‘My Title is Barbra’ has bought simply 212,000 copies, numbers posted this week by Publishers Weekly point out – weeks after the 81-year-old songstress promised it might mark the top to her storied profession.
Whereas not precisely within the method she supposed, it seems Streisand’s prophecy is coming to fruition – because the expensive e book’s gross sales fall wanting landmarks set by related memoirs like Prince Harry’s Spare and Britney Spears’ The Lady in Me.
Initially exceeding 55,000 copies in its first week, total gross sales have since sputtered, barely promoting 7,200 this week previous, the statistics present. Streisand is prone to have earned an eight-figure advance for the tome, though particulars of any fee have been stored underneath wraps.
The brand new quantity falls nicely wanting the weekly gross sales of 12 nonfiction works ranked above it, Spear’s e book included. It is also about 13 % of the gross sales recorded within the e book’s first week, which means curiosity has died down significantly.
Barbra Streisand, 81, clapped again at critics who suppose she attire too provocatively for her age: ‘Folks ought to categorical themselves and put on no matter they really feel on any given day’
‘My Title is Barbra’ has bought simply 212,000 copies since popping out in early November, numbers posted this week by Publishers Weekly point out – indicating an obvious misfire after the 81-year-old songstress had promised it might mark the top of her storied profession
Amongst them was Spears’, which since its October launch has secured 908,580 in gross sales – practically 5 occasions that of Streisand’s.
The e book – one other music-centered memoir involving a much-shorter profession – can be pounding Streisand’s in time period of weekly gross sales, at the moment at 18,842 regardless of gracing retailer cabinets a full two months earlier than Barbra’s.
Additionally beating My Title is Barba by way of gross sales final week is a September biography about South Africa’s Elon Musk, and one other memoir launched just some weeks in the past – penned by a a lot much less influential Liz Cheney, daughter of late VP Dick.
Titled Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning, the e book was launched on December 5 – nearly a full month faraway from that of Streisand’s.
Nonetheless, inside that span, the previous Wyoming rep’s first attempt at a tell-all surpassed My Title is Barbra in gross sales by greater than 50,000, unloading 269,794 in simply 4 weeks.
By way of weekly gross sales, the e book from the 57-year-old who represented Wyoming’s at-large congressional district within the Home of Representatives from 2017 to 2023 can be beating again Streisand’s, numbered at 23,826 in comparison with the singer’s 7,201.
The distinction between the 2 is almost four-fold. In the meantime, a e book launched by outspoken progressive Rachel Maddow in October continues to be securing greater than 9,500 gross sales per week, statistics present.
Whereas not within the method she supposed, Streisand’s prophecy has seemingly come to fruition, with the brand new e book’s gross sales falling nicely wanting landmarks set memoirs like Britney Spears ‘ The Lady in Me, which got here in October and has bought practically 5 occasions as a lot as Streisand’s
Additionally beating My Title is Barba by way of gross sales final week is a September biography about Elon Musk, and one other memoir penned by a a lot much less influential determine in Liz Cheney, daughter of late VP Dick Cheney
Placing an accent on this mediocrity is that all the books are being bested by a easy cook dinner e book – titled Dinner Tonight: 100 Easy, Wholesome Recipes for Each Night time of the Week
Within the e book, the appearing icon – (seen her in 1968’s Humorous Woman) -revealed why she by no means underwent a nostril job, after receiving merciless feedback about her seems throughout her early profession
Streisand is seen giving one among her final performances onstage at Chicago’s United Heart in August 2019. She has since retired – a choice she had aired whereas selling her new e book
The choice comes after greater than a dozen iconic appearing performances from the star, together with her 1976 effort reverse Kris Kristofferson in A Star Is Born, a critically acclaimed remake of the 1937 unique
Her long-awaited memoir is supposed to supply a humorous, frank take a look at her profession, six many years in
Placing an accent on this mediocrity is that all the books are being bested by a mere cook dinner e book – one launched within the waning weeks of 2023.
Titled Dinner Tonight: 100 Easy, Wholesome Recipes for Each Night time of the Week, the e book – whereas not containing something groundbreaking – is at the moment promoting roughly 35,700 per week, per Publishers Weekly.
To place factor into perspective, Royal biographer Omid Scobie’s Endgame – additionally deemed a bust – bought simply 8,923 copies within the US throughout its inaugural week of gross sales this previous month.
Right this moment, the e book – billed as an ‘explosive, penetrating’ investigation into the present state of the British Monarchy – stays ranked under child’s books reminiscent of Diary of a Wimpy Child and Stick Man, in addition to bios from Spears and the late Matthew Perry.
Each books, in the meantime have didn’t match the document quantity of gross sales achieved by Prince Harry’s personal memoir, Spare, since its launch January 2023.
The autobiography – which too had been extremely anticipated – bought a whopping 467,183 copies in its first week within the US alone, and greater than 2.7 million copies throughout the remainder of the globe.
Plans: Regardless of the glitz and glamour of fame and profitable 10 Grammys, Barbra (pictured in 2013) admitted she hasn’t had ‘a lot enjoyable’ in her life and desires to have extra going forwards
![Long and dishy, it clocks in at 992 pages, and '[is] not a book you inhale,” Times critic at large Wesley Morris recently wrote. 'The bigness of it makes literal the career it contains,' he added of the book, which is struggling in terms of sales. 'Streisand is poring over, pouring out, her life'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/12/18/79844255-12944105-Long_and_dishy_it_clocks_in_at_992_pages_and_is_not_a_book_you_i-a-24_1705084996004.jpg)
Lengthy and dishy, it clocks in at 992 pages, and ‘[is] not a e book you inhale,” Occasions critic at massive Wesley Morris just lately wrote. ‘The bigness of it makes literal the profession it comprises,’ he added of the e book, which is struggling by way of gross sales. ‘Streisand is poring over, pouring out, her life’
Walter Matthau and Streisand are seen starring in 1968’s Good day, Dolly!, one among her most well-known works
Queen Elizabeth II greets the long-lasting singer and actress on the movie premiere of ‘Humorous Girl’, the 1975
The quantity was reported after it was rumored the 39-year-old ex Royal had acquired a $20 million advance for the enterprise, after forfeiting his regal place and shifting to the US along with his spouse, Fits star Megan Markle.
As of Tuesday, it’s unknown whether or not Streisand – who famously starred reverse nation crooner Kris Kristofferson in 1978’s A Star Is Born – acquired an identical sign-on bonus, although it’s often the case with such high-profile offers.
In the meantime, the e book – at the moment being billed as successful – is the songstress’s first memoir, and is supposed to supply a humorous, frank take a look at her spectacular profession, greater than six many years in. Streisand – famed for her diva habits – refused to let publishers embody an index in a bid to cease readers going straight for the extra salacious particulars the monster memoir containts.
In it, she particulars her love-life with a number of of her well-known exes – together with Miami Vice’s Don Johnson, celeb hairstylist–turned–celebrity producer Jon Peters and former Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau – although in interviews, she just lately revealed she’d have moderately left these accounts out.
‘Pay attention, I did not wish to write about any of them!’ she advised CBS Sunday Morning’s Gayle King in November, responding emphatically after King listed among the star’s greatest conquests.
‘However you probably did!’ Gayle retorted – citing the Good day Dolly Star’s different well-known relationships, together with the ill-fated one with ex-husband Elliott Gould, and one that continues to be ongoing along with her longtime second partner, James Brolin.
Streisand, recent off a spot selling the e book on Stephen Colbert’s Late Present, as a substitute positioned blame for the e book’s extra salacious materials on her editor, recounting: ‘My editor mentioned, “You must go away some blood on the web page”.’
Streisand just lately talked up her e book on a November episode of The Late Present With Stephen Colbert, the place she teased a few of its contents
To state the plain, Barbra’s e book has didn’t match the document quantity of gross sales achieved by Prince Harry’s personal memoir, Spare, which launched January 2023. The autobiography has since bought 467,183 copies in its first week within the US alone, and a pair of.7 million throughout the remainder of the globe
The gross sales numbers doubtless come as a disappointment, contemplating the spectacular, six-decade profession that predated it.
In an excerpt obtained by People, she wrote about how, early on in her profession she was urged to endure surgical procedure to make her well-known nostril extra modest, in addition to a dental process to ‘cap her tooth’.
The musician recalled of the suggestion provided someday within the early 60s: ‘I assumed, Isn’t my expertise sufficient? A nostril job would harm and be costly. Apart from, how may I belief anybody to do precisely what I needed and no extra?’
Streisand additionally revealed why she by no means underwent the really useful nostril job – writing that ‘at all times favored’ the form of her nostril, and publicly pondering ‘who knew what [the surgery] may do to my voice?’
The actress additionally wrote how playing on the inventory market supplied her with a preciously unknown thrill, and the way ‘From about 1998 to 2000, [she] was buying and selling Monday via Friday, from 6.30am to 1pm.
‘At 6.25am my eyes would open huge, with out an alarm,’ one portion reads.
‘I would stand up, throw on my bathrobe, sit down at my new desk with a cup of scorching chocolate, and begin buying and selling. That was an entire new studying expertise. I like playing. Every time I sang in Las Vegas, I might play blackjack,’ she mentioned.
The New York native – who received eight Grammy awards over her 60-year profession – went on to rake in $1.8m in 5 months, however ultimately gave the pastime up when it turned too irritating.
‘I am not enjoying with such large sums,’ she writes, after dropping large through the mid-2000s recession.
‘After being burned a number of occasions (I misplaced my shirt, my costume, and my nerve within the 2008 monetary meltdown), I made a decision to stay to bonds.’
The e book additionally covers the years that ensued, and the way the getting older A-lister just lately determined to to go away showbusiness for good, as a result of her present want to simply ‘dwell life’.
She spoke about this choice – made along side the discharge of her memoir – in an emotional interview with BBC the week of the e book’s launch, stating how the tome delves into not solely her full private life, however these of her well-known boyfriends.
‘I wish to dwell life,’ she expressed, touting I’m Barbra as her closing providing earlier than stepping away from the limelight.
‘I wish to get in my husband’s truck and simply wander, hopefully with the kids someplace close to us,’ she continued of her brood, which incorporates stepson Josh Brolin, grandson Trevor Brolin and son Jason Gould, whom she shares along with her first husband.
‘Life is enjoyable for me once they come over,’ Streisand – who lives along with her second hubby in a sprawling house on the California coast – added.
‘They love enjoying with the canine, and we’ve got enjoyable. I have not had a lot enjoyable in my life, to inform you the reality. And I wish to have extra enjoyable.’
As statistics present her e book flaming out, followers have been left to admire the legacy she’s left behind – in addition to the unbelievable expertise that the memoir maybe fails to encapsulate.
Lengthy and dishy, it clocks in at 992 pages, and ‘[is] not a e book you inhale,’ Occasions critic at massive Wesley Morris just lately wrote.
‘The bigness of it makes literal the profession it comprises,’ he added. ‘Streisand is poring over, pouring out, her life’.
Different traits to be cherished because the star’s profession involves a unceremonious shut is her resilience and authenticity – traits the e book, via its many passages, does handle to convey.
Nonetheless, the gross sales numbers doubtless come as a disappointment, contemplating the spectacular, profession that predated it.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Streisand’s group for remark.