The iconic author’s latest release has only been on shelves for one short week, but already it’s established itself as another bona fide hit.
According to Penguin Random House, The Testaments has sold more than 125,000 copies since its release on Tuesday. Margaret Atwood’s sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale has performed so well, it has officially broken the record for best first-day sales of any Penguin Random House title this year. Having initially gone to press on the novel for an announced 500,000 copies, the publisher has gone back twice already on The Testaments.
Currently, the book is #1 on Apple Book charts and #2 on the Barnes and Nobles bestseller list, but it has also been doing exceptionally well for independent bookshops. Chicago bookstore owner Sarah Hollenbeck tells The Guardian, “It has a notable cross-generational appeal. I am seeing older customers buy it who adored The Handmaid’s Tale when it was first released and much younger customers pick it up who may have only discovered it only after the Hulu series was released. It also is extraordinarily and terrifyingly timely.”
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