Prince Harry's 'Spare' Becomes Fastest Selling Non-Fiction Book in the U.K., Only 'Harry Potter' Had Bigger First-Day Sales

It's a resounding success!

Prince Harry's Controversial Memoir Goes On Sale
(Image credit: Photo by Scott Olson / Getty)

Though there are plenty of people who claim to be tired of Prince Harry making headlines, it seems there are far more who are hankering to hear his story from his own perspective.

Exhibit A: His memoir, Spare, has apparently sold more copies on its first day out in the U.K. than any other non-fiction book, ever. It was released on Jan. 10 worldwide.

Royal reporter Omid Scobie tweeted, "And there you have it! Spokesperson for @TransworldBooks, a UK division of Penguin Random House, tells me that Prince Harry's #Spare has become Britain's fastest selling non-fiction title of all time. It's, so far, recorded a sales figure of 400,000 copies across all formats."

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Larry Finlay, the managing director for Transworld, said in a statement, "We always knew this book would fly, but it is exceeding even our most bullish expectations.

"As far as we know, the only books to have sold more in their first day are those starring the other Harry [Potter]" (via Reuters).

Meanwhile, the memoir is finding a similar success in the U.S., topping Amazon's nonfiction bestseller list as well as Barnes & Noble's top 100, according to CBS News. The outlet reports that we will have to wait to find out where it lands on the New York Times bestsellers' list, however, because the current list precedes Spare's publication date.

In Spare, Prince Harry makes a number of shocking and unexpected revelations about his life as a royal and his departure from the U.K., such as his experimentation with drugs, how he lost his virginity, and his complicated relationship with brother Prince William.

Spare is out now and available from all major book retailers.

Iris Goldsztajn
Morning Editor

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and Shape. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.