Even Before Release Date, Sarah Palin’s Book Hits the Bargain Bin

This afternoon, I got a spam e-mail from NewsMax, the right-wing website that has in the past sent me such gems as an advertisement for a book featuring Ronald Reagan’s memory secrets. Today’s advertising offer: 2012 Republican Presidential Contender Sarah Palin’s new book, Going Rogue, can be yours for just $4.97:

If you read the text of that advertisement, you’ll notice that Sarah Palin’s book hasn’t even been released yet; not for two weeks will you find it on the shelf. So why is it already selling for $4.97 through NewsMax? One answer might be that NewsMax loves Sarah Palin so much they’re selling Palin’s book — a new hardcover, mind you — at a loss so that you, dear reader, can absorb and learn from her words. You go right ahead and tell yourself that, but it isn’t likely to be true. If there were strong demand for Sarah Palin’s book, NewsMax could get rid of its copies at a higher price, and through the years NewsMax has shown itself to be primarily interested in making money. The low price is an indicator of low demand, and my guess is that NewsMax is stuck with a load of Palin books and very few takers.

Don’t believe me? Check out the market of all book markets, Amazon.com. Amazon.com is sitting on a pile of Going Rogue books and is taking pre-orders for the new hardbook edition at the price of $9.00:

Deep discounts don’t happen when demand is high. Barack Obama wrote the book Dreams from My Father back in 1995. Its hardcover edition has been reprinted and reprinted and reprinted. It’s currently on sale on Amazon.com, 14 years after its initial printing, for $15.11.