Friday
Jan082010
by 
Bishop Hill
Bishop Hill Something's up
Jan 8, 2010 Books Climate: HSI The Hockey Stick Illusion currently has an Amazon sales rank of around 200, its highest to date. Yesterday it was at something like 17,000.
What happened?
Reader Comments (20)
Maybe this:
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2010/01/08/all-of-england-covered-by-snow/
Be happy --
I hope you have sent review copies to various anti AGW politicians. You do need a PR blitz about now and that is hard to do without money, but having Lord Monckton wave a copy around will help your sales. You have managed to time the book very well indeed, even if by accident.
There is something odd in the Review section on that Amazon page. Each reviewer seems to have made exactly the same quote?
[BH adds: Yes, I've just pointed that out to the publisher.]
Congratulations Bish, I hope you make some money from this book. I know that wouldn't been have been your primary motivation in writing the book, but it would be nice to see your efforts rewarded. I had a quick browse of the Amazon charts, and noticed the pseudo-sceptic Ben Goldacre in at number 33. That made my blood boil for a moment, then I noticed how heavily his book was discounted.
I did enjoy the juxtaposition:
"Severe weather conditions are affecting deliveries across the country. Some deliveries could take 1-2 days longer than usual to be delivered."
Ah, yes, I know what that is... all your excellent readers buying the book...as I have just done! Looking forward to its arrival.
That is weird. Perhaps it is due to the cold?
I know people have been burning books to keep warm...
I also cannot think of any event that would cause a sales spike. But let's be thankful that it is selling.
Whatever it is - enjoy it while it lasts!
Congratulations
Congratulations anyway, hope the book does exceptionally well.
Could this be another hockey stick illusion?
sorry, couldn't resist.
More good news. Well done Bishop.
Nice one - congratulations.
Excuse me while I hurry across to amazon and add my personal little uptick to that ranking!
I hope they have counted my copy. Oh, forget it, I bought it from another bookshop.
Way to kick it... I'm looking forward to reading it.
Can be me; mine's been on order since well before Christmas.
Ah good old Ben Wiseacre - pseudo-sceptic indeed. As mainstream as they come.
I was looking into sales figures for books with my niece the other day and it's surprising how low they actually are, if you're not in the Dan Brown category. Because of the way Amazon works it's possible for sales of a dozen or so (or even less) to push you right up the ranks for a couple of hours. Then you go back down again.
Well, I ordered in November but they have still neither charged me nor despatched my copy; so I suspect your uptick is something to do with them finally getting around to fulfilling their pre-orders...
Just maybe some people are realising that this is an important book.
Maybe "The Team" are buying up copies.
Whatever the reason(s), congratulations.
I hope your sales are sustained sir, your blog has been indispensible over the last months and you deserve it. 'One click purchase' here I come.
Briffa, Hansen, Jones, Mann, Trenberth et al. of a sudden caught wind of this, thine opus, and hit up Ban Ki-moon plus Adnan Pachauri to buy up all copies but a wretched residue. Sequestered volumes will be distributed to U.K. pensioners as suitable fuel for hearthfires, Warmists' typical approach to meliorating the effects of their cynical, deceitful scams. The upside is that scarce supplies of this seminal work will make it a collector's item, each copy bid up on E-bay to a price approaching a round-lot of Albert the Gore's gilt-edged Carbon Offsets. Meantime, press on!