Sex, scandal, yawn: Madoff books are a bust

[September 03, 2009]  NEW YORK (AP) -- Sex and scandal have not been enough to make major sellers out of books about Bernard Madoff.

According to Nielsen BookScan, neither a much-discussed tell-all by alleged ex-mistress Sheryl Weinstein nor a recent wave of biographies about the imprisoned financier have caught on with the public.

Weinstein's "Madoff's Other Secret," a tabloid favorite published last month by St. Martin's Press, has sold just 2,000 copies. As of Wednesday night, it ranked No. 3,506 on Amazon.com.

Jerry Oppenheimer's "Madoff With the Money" has sold 1,000 copies. Gerard and Deborah Strober's "Catastrophe" and Andrew Kirtzman's "Betrayal" each sold 3,000. Erin Arvedlund's "Too Good To Be True" has been slightly more successful, selling 5,000 copies.

Nielsen BookScan tracks about 70 percent to 75 percent of the market.

Publishers had been so anxious to release Madoff books that the publication dates for "Madoff With the Money," "Betrayal" and "Too Good To Be True" were moved up from the fall to August.

None of the Madoff works were in the top 2,000 Wednesday night on Amazon.

[Associated Press; By HILLEL ITALIE]

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