# Books that sold way more copies than you would have thought **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 3, 2013, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-sold-way-more-copies-than-you-would-have-thought/662522 "2013-07-03T11:41:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-sold-way-more-copies-than-you-would-have-thought/662522/61 "2013-07-11T17:26:34Z")
In the late 1980s, I heard a radio interview with the author of “Jaws” and was VERY surprised to hear him say that the book was out of print! 😕 :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-sold-way-more-copies-than-you-would-have-thought/662522/62 "2013-07-11T17:41:46Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > In the late 1980s, I heard a radio interview with the author of “Jaws” and was VERY surprised to hear him say that the book was out of print! 😕 :eek: Because the book is complete and total shit compared to the movie. In the movie, the noble Hooper and the weary Chief Brody join the insane Quint on a boat to stop the shark. In the book, the horny Hooper spends multiple chapters fucking Mrs. Brody (who can’t stop talking about her desire to be raped by a black guy) while the devious Chief Brody dreams up the best way to throw him overboard after they join Quint on his boat. Also, we constantly check in with local townspeople to find out how much it sucks when there are no tourists during the Summer season. I exaggerate (I think Mrs. Brody only mentions her rape fantasy twice), but only a little bit. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-sold-way-more-copies-than-you-would-have-thought/662522/63 "2013-07-11T18:01:27Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > The Bible? Available free of charge to anyone that has stayed in a motel/hotel, yet people pay for it. And how do you think those motel/hotel rooms acquired those copies? > [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Two others that come to mind immediately are “Eats, Shoots, and Leaves” which I have read (or tried to) and “Eat Pray Love”, which I haven’t, and haven’t heard ANYONE say they liked it. I got Eats Shoots and Leaves as a graduation present and was mildly insulted. I was fully insulted when I actually cracked it open and started reading it. ---
**Author:** ![Jormungandr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@Jormungandr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jormungandr)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-sold-way-more-copies-than-you-would-have-thought/662522/64 "2013-07-11T18:21:32Z")
> [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](#): > > I tried to read a couple James Patterson books back in the day. Damn he is a bad bad writer. Unreadably bad. Especially the Women’s Murder Club. Short chapters, large font, no character development, plots that make the worse Law & Order episode seem like Nobel Prize material, the club as a whole only meets for meals with the occasional trip and Patterson’s idea of relationships is either eating or having sex every time. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-sold-way-more-copies-than-you-would-have-thought/662522/65 "2013-07-11T18:42:13Z")
I was not surprised to learn that a book “written” by Snookie of the New Jersey Shore TV series made the New York Times bestseller list, but it DID confirm the notion that bestsellerhood was largely the product of marketing, and very little else. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-sold-way-more-copies-than-you-would-have-thought/662522/66 "2013-07-11T20:59:11Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Because the book is complete and total shit compared to the movie. > > In the movie, the noble Hooper and the weary Chief Brody join the insane Quint on a boat to stop the shark. > > In the book, the horny Hooper spends multiple chapters fucking Mrs. Brody (who can’t stop talking about her desire to be raped by a black guy) while the devious Chief Brody dreams up the best way to throw him overboard after they join Quint on his boat. Also, we constantly check in with local townspeople to find out how much it sucks when there are no tourists during the Summer season. > > I exaggerate (I think Mrs. Brody only mentions her rape fantasy twice), but only a little bit. I read it as an adolescent (which is how old I was when the movie came out, too) and all I remember about it is that it had a lot of profanity, which we giggled over. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-sold-way-more-copies-than-you-would-have-thought/662522/67 "2013-07-11T21:49:06Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > And how do you think those motel/hotel rooms acquired those copies? Jesus? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-sold-way-more-copies-than-you-would-have-thought/662522/68 "2013-07-12T02:15:00Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > And how do you think those motel/hotel rooms acquired those copies? Usually the Gideons. If you stay at a Marriott, which is owned by a Mormon family, they will have the Book of Mormon too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-sold-way-more-copies-than-you-would-have-thought/662522.md?page=3)