Swift’s record-breaking book launch garners over 800,000 sales but is criticized for errors and production issues
Taylor Swift’s official Eras Tour book, which coincides with the conclusion of her record-breaking tour, has taken the world by storm. Released in early December, the book quickly became a phenomenon, selling a staggering 814,000 copies in the U.S. alone during the Thanksgiving weekend, as reported by Circana. This impressive sales figure made the book launch the biggest of the year, second only to Barack Obama’s presidential memoir, A Promised Land, which sold 816,000 copies during its first week in 2020. What makes this achievement even more remarkable is that Swift’s book was sold exclusively through the American supermarket chain Target, bypassing major retailers like Amazon and refusing the traditional route through a major book publisher.
The Eras Tour itself, which wrapped up on December 8 after 152 shows across five continents, became the highest-grossing tour of all time, grossing over $1 billion (£785 million), according to data from Pollstar in 2023. Swift’s cultural impact during this period has been monumental, and her fans, affectionately known as “Swifties,” have followed her journey closely. The release of this book, which chronicles the monumental Eras Tour, was a highly anticipated event that added to the excitement surrounding her music and achievements.
However, despite the book’s success, it hasn’t been without its criticisms. Some fans were quick to point out multiple errors throughout the book, which has sparked significant chatter on social media. The $40 book, which offers a detailed look at the Eras Tour, features numerous grammatical mistakes, spelling errors, blurry images, and even some structural issues, including an alleged instance of the book being printed upside down and back to front. On TikTok, one fan expressed shock at the number of errors, stating that they were “blown away” by the amount of grammatical mistakes they noticed as they flicked through the pages. They even questioned whether the book had been properly edited at all.
One fan listed eight distinct typos, including misspelled song titles and missing punctuation. Another shared a video pointing out a particularly glaring error where a section of the book was printed upside down, with some suggesting that the errors detracted from the overall reading experience. These issues were especially noticeable for fans who had lined up early to purchase the book, with some claiming that the errors were distracting enough to take them “out of the reading experience.”
Despite these criticisms, many fans took a more positive view of the situation. Some suggested that the errors might even make the book “more valuable” over time, viewing them as endearing imperfections. Others defended Swift’s decision to release the book under her control, stating they would prefer “a few cute errors” if it meant the artist had full creative control over the publishing process.
The book’s success and its subsequent controversies have highlighted the increasing influence Swift has in the world of publishing, not just music. It was reported that the Eras Tour book became the second-largest nonfiction book launch in U.S. history, trailing only Barack Obama’s A Promised Land. What’s notable here is that Obama’s book had a significant advantage in terms of distribution, as it was available through all major outlets, while Swift’s book was exclusively sold through Target. Circana’s tracking data reflects only the book’s first weekend sales, which makes the achievement even more impressive.
While representatives for both Swift and Target have not yet responded to requests for comment, the controversy over the book’s errors has added an unexpected layer of intrigue to its success. Whether or not these errors will ultimately affect the book’s long-term value remains to be seen, but for now, Swifties seem to embrace them as part of the charm of an already iconic release.