'Musk Jeongi' Sells 90,000 Copies in One Week... Second Place Following 'Jobs Jeongi'

"Hit Thanks to Public Interest Amid Bookstore Struggles"

Famous biographer Walter Isaacson's biography of Elon Musk sold more than 90,000 copies within a week of its release in the United States, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 20th (local time). It has become a hot topic as it is known to be the second best-selling figure in the history of autobiography sales, following the Steve Jobs biography.

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

According to WSJ citing market research firm NPD BookScan, the book covering Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, sold 92,560 copies in its first week. Isaacson spent about three years researching and released the book on the 12th, containing a vast 670 pages detailing Musk's life and thoughts.

NPD BookScan evaluated that the sales volume of Musk's biography was the second highest among major business biographies and autobiographies. The best-selling biography before this was also by Isaacson, the 2011 biography of Apple founder Steve Jobs, which sold 382,851 copies in its first week alone.

WSJ stated, "In the week Musk's biography was released, overall hardcover sales declined by 4% year-over-year, causing difficulties for bookstores," and added, "The high demand for this biography reflects the public's interest in a figure (Musk) who often sparks division."

James Daunt, CEO of major U.S. bookstore Barnes & Noble, told WSJ, "We think it's tremendous, but the publisher called us saying it wasn't selling enough," and introduced, "It clearly was a hit. For example, men walk in and pick up the book, put it down, and linger around."

Isaacson is a famous biographer who has written about Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, and others. Isaacson said that Musk allowed him to shadow him like a shadow and did not interfere with the content of the biography.

The biography of Musk written by Isaacson drew attention for revealing that Musk's twins with Shivon Zilis, an executive at Neuralink, were conceived through sperm donation, that he had a troubled relationship with his father due to verbal abuse during his teenage years, and that his relationships with women were unstable.