New Book on Rupert Murdoch Flops Despite Pre-Release Hype -- Falls Short of Even Olivia Nuzzi's Debut Sales [View all]

Source: MEDIAite

Feb 15th, 2026, 4:03 pm


Bill O’Reilly used to tell viewers they were entering the “No Spin Zone” when they watched his Fox News program. Unfortunately for Vanity Fair special correspondent Gabriel Sherman, his new book on the family drama surrounding Rupert Murdoch — the man who built Fox News — just debuted in the No Sales Zone.

Sherman’s book, Bonfire of the Murdochs, sold only 1,118 books in the first week following its Feb. 3 publication, according to Bookscan sales figures reviewed by Mediaite. That put the book well outside The New York Times best seller list and stands out because it sold even less than the 1,165 copies Olivia Nuzzi’s American Canto moved last fall — and that memoir was absolutely pummeled by the critics and many media talking heads.

Bonfire has also failed to climb into the top 200 sellers among non-fiction books so far in 2026, based on the sales data. The limp sales stand out considering Bonfire received some decent publicity heading into its publication date.

Publishers Weekly dubbed it a “juicy melodrama” and the Washington Post, The New Yorker, The Hollywood Reporter, MS NOW, and the BBC were some of the other outlets that covered the book, which chronicled the “epic family war” for Murdoch’s media empire.

Read more: https://www.mediaite.com/media/new-book-on-rupert-murdoch-flops-despite-pre-release-hype-falls-short-of-even-olivia-nuzzis-debut-sales/