Morrissey’s "Autobiography" has sold more than 140,000 copies - The Guardian

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Alex Ferguson tops table for bestselling book in print for 2013 - The Guardian
Ex-Manchester United manager's memoir My Autobiography has sold more than 647,000 copies since publication in October

Excerpt:

David Jason has won the battle of the showbiz memoir with almost 300,000 books sold, comfortably ahead of Morrissey, who sold more than 140,00 copies of his Penguin classic, and Miranda Hart whose 2012 memoir Is It Just Me? sold more than 137,000 copies during 2013 in paperback.
 
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I suppose a way of checking broad sales figures might be if some kind person researches which albums have RIAA certification.

Albums certified gold in the US (500,000 copies). Certification date in brackets:

The Queen Is Dead (1990)
Louder Than Bombs (1990)
Strangeways Here We Come (1990)

Viva Hate (1993)
Bona Drag (2000)

Given that the Smiths certifications are prior to Sound Scan starting, we can assume sales of at least:

Louder Than Bombs 912,444
The Queen Is Dead 787,180
Strangeways Here We Come 730,794

Given that this misses 6 or 7 years' worth of data, it's probably a safe bet that LTB has now passed one million sales in the US (platinum) but hasn't yet been certified. Viva Hate must also have sales which are about the same as TQID and Strangeways.

For the UK:

Platinum (300,000-600,000 sales)

Hatful of Hollow (1987)
The Queen Is Dead (2013)
Singles (2003)
The Very Best of the Smiths (2013)
The Sound of the Smiths (2013)

You Are The Quarry (2004)

Gold (100,000-300,000)

The Smiths (2007)
The World Won't Listen (1987)
Louder Than Bombs (2004)
Rank (1988)
Best I (1992)
Best II (2008)

Viva Hate (1988)
Vauxhall and I (1995)
Suedehead (2013)
Ringleaders (2009)

Silver (60,000-100,000)

Meat Is Murder (1985)
Strangeways (1987)

Bona Drag (1990)
Kill Uncle (1991)
Southpaw Grammar (1995)
Greatest Hits (2013)
Years Of Refusal (2013)

Note that Maladjusted, Live At Earls Court, Beethoven Was Deaf, Swords, The Very Best of Morrissey, World Of Morrissey, My Early Burglary Years and (surprisingly) Your Arsenal all appear to have never been certified for sales in the UK.
 
This collates US sales since 1992, courtesy of Soundscan. UK figures are harder to come by - you might have to pay some huge industry subscription - but I remember seeing a figure of less than 100,000 for YOR. I suppose a way of checking broad sales figures might be if some kind person researches which albums have RIAA certification.

"As of 2/28/10 Years Of Refusal has sold 77,410 copies in the U.S. according to Soundscan. 4,538 of those were vinyl and 19,753 were digital.

Here are the Morrissey and Smiths album sales in the Soundscan era (i.e from 1992 onwards), which I received from a friend who works there.

Interestingly enough both in 2007 and in total sales since 1992 The Smiths outsell Morrissey, if only just.
In 2007 The Smiths sold 66,063 albums in the US and Morrissey sold 58,992 albums
Cumulatively The Smiths have sold 2,598,266 albums in the SoundScan era and Morrissey has sold 2,350,983.

The best selling Smiths albums from 1992 onwards are:

Best...1 : 432,907
Louder Than Bombs: 412,444
Singles: 396,150
The Queen Is Dead: 287,180
Meat Is Murder: 245,385
Strangeways, Here We Come: 230,794
Best...2: 208,357
Harful of Hollow: 133,809
The Smiths: 130,076

The best selling Morrissey album from 1992 onwards are:

Your Arsenal: 366,047
Bona Drag: 360,977
Vauxhall & I: 293,017
Viva Hate: 234,804
You Are The Quarry: 230,169
Kill Uncle: 221,293
Best of Morrissey: 179,746
Ringleader of The Tormentors: 97,502
Maladjusted: 88,554
World Of Morrissey: 69,357
Southpaw Grammar: 67,451"

http://the-earl-grey.livejournal.com/258865.html

The YOR figure given here are for a relatively short time after release, but its chart performance in the weeks after release wouldn't indicate huge sales increases since.

interesting, thanks for posting this
 
"Oh no it isn't!" Have you heard of panto season and the panto villan? Obviously not, well panto is full of silly gags that go over little childrens heads. Like you :laughing:
"Oh yes it is " :rofl:


Benny-the-panto-villan-Butcher

'Benny your a star in nobody's eyes but mine'. Benny your the devil in disguise.
 
Albums certified gold in the US (500,000 copies). Certification date in brackets:

The Queen Is Dead (1990)
Louder Than Bombs (1990)
Strangeways Here We Come (1990)

Viva Hate (1993)
Bona Drag (2000)

Given that the Smiths certifications are prior to Sound Scan starting, we can assume sales of at least:

Louder Than Bombs 912,444
The Queen Is Dead 787,180
Strangeways Here We Come 730,794

Given that this misses 6 or 7 years' worth of data, it's probably a safe bet that LTB has now passed one million sales in the US (platinum) but hasn't yet been certified. Viva Hate must also have sales which are about the same as TQID and Strangeways.

For the UK:

Platinum (300,000-600,000 sales)

Hatful of Hollow (1987)
The Queen Is Dead (2013)
Singles (2003)
The Very Best of the Smiths (2013)
The Sound of the Smiths (2013)

You Are The Quarry (2004)

Gold (100,000-300,000)

The Smiths (2007)
The World Won't Listen (1987)
Louder Than Bombs (2004)
Rank (1988)
Best I (1992)
Best II (2008)

Viva Hate (1988)
Vauxhall and I (1995)
Suedehead (2013)
Ringleaders (2009)

Silver (60,000-100,000)

Meat Is Murder (1985)
Strangeways (1987)

Bona Drag (1990)
Kill Uncle (1991)
Southpaw Grammar (1995)
Greatest Hits (2013)
Years Of Refusal (2013)

Note that Maladjusted, Live At Earls Court, Beethoven Was Deaf, Swords, The Very Best of Morrissey, World Of Morrissey, My Early Burglary Years and (surprisingly) Your Arsenal all appear to have never been certified for sales in the UK.

Further to the above, Strangeways and Meat Is Murder are actually certified gold in the UK - not very clear for the search results, but it is there.
 

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