Angela Merkel’s “Freedom” is the most successful book of the year so far

Angela Merkel’s memoirs were sold more than 200,000 times in the first week of sales alone. This was the result of an analysis by the company Media Control, which records book sales in Germany and also creates the “Spiegel” bestseller list. This makes the former Chancellor’s book “Freedom” the most successful book of the year so far.

“No other book has had such a brilliant start this year,” says Ulrike Altig, Managing Director of Media Control. Just a few days after publication, Merkel’s work, which she wrote together with her long-time confidante Beate Baumann, stormed bestseller lists.

In “Freedom. Memories 1954 – 2021” the 70-year-old looks back on her life on 736 pages. The hardcover costs 42 euros. It is not known how much Merkel herself earns from this. “We ask for your understanding that we do not provide any information about internal publisher matters or details of the contract,” the publisher says. Several media outlets had written about an advance payment for the authors in the millions.

After Amazon went on sale, there was a restriction on the comment function for the book. A company spokesman said “unusual evaluation activities” had been identified. Therefore, the reviews are “temporarily limited to ‘verified purchases’”. This is to ensure that “the reviews displayed are authentic and trustworthy”. Several media outlets had previously reported on it.

According to the company, verified purchases mean in particular that the reviewer has purchased or used (e.g. streamed) the relevant item on Amazon. In principle, reviews can also be submitted without this addition. However, the prerequisite for any rating is that customers must have spent at least 50 euros on Amazon in the previous twelve months.