USA TODAY International Edition
Movie revives book sales of ‘ In Cold Blood’
Capote’s 1965 ‘ non- , ction novel’ makes late author famous again
Capote, the biopic about Truman Capote’s writing of In Cold Blood, slowly is rolling out at movie theaters across the country, but sales of the classic, 40- year-old novel already are heating up at bookstores.
Vintage has gone back to press three times with its movie tie- in edition. There are 130,000 books in print, which feature cover art from the original book and a sticker with a photo of Philip Seymour Hoffman, who stars as the I amboyant author in the , lm.
“ Right now, sales of Capote’s books are running 28% ahead of last year,” says Lynne Widli, a buyer for Barnes & Noble. “ In Cold Blood
was our top- selling literature title last week, outselling perennial favorites The Great
Gatsby, 1984, Of Mice and Men and Lord of the Flies.”
When , rst published in 1965, In Cold Blood
was an instant sensation. Capote called his book, based on the 1959 murder of a Kansas farm family, a “ non- , ction novel.” The movie, which opened in limited release Sept. 30, examines the author’s relationship with the convicted killers.
Capote the movie, however, is not based on the novel, but on Capote: A Biography, the critically acclaimed work by Gerald Clarke, , rst published in 1986 and now also seeing a resurgence in interest. Publisher Carroll & Graf has printed 30,000
movie tie-in editions, and sales have
increased 30% a
week since early
September, according to editor in chief
Philip Turner. He
says an additional
printing is expected
soon.
Beyond the story
itself, Turner says
readers and moviegoers are fascinated
with how journalists and writers get their sources, particularly in light of the current controversy surrounding New York Times reporter Judith Miller and the unmasking of a covert CIA operative.
In his book, Capote’s chief source is Perry Smith, one of the killers. “Ambiguity fascinates people,” Turner says.
Interest is expected to accelerate as the , lmmoves toward a nationwide opening Nov. 18.
“Sales will continue to be strong,” says Barnes & Noble’s Widli. “ As long as there’s media coverage — and obviously this is going to get plenty of Oscar buzz — it’s going to keep it in front of people’s minds.”
And if all this Capote isn’t enough, Have You Heard?, another , lm about the literary legend, is scheduled for release next year. It’s based on George Plimpton’s 1997 biography Truman Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career. And, yes, the publisher, Anchor, already is planning a movie tie- in edition.