'Jewel of Medina' Has Respectable Start 

by Jim Milliot -- Publishers Weekly, 10/23/2008 7:33:00 AM

The Jewel of Media, the debut novel by Sherry Jones, has sold 3,000 units through October 19, according to Nielsen BookScan. Beaufort Books picked up Jewel in early September after it was dropped by Ballantine over what is said were concerns that the book took liberties with the historical record and might be offensive to some members of the Muslim community. The book began to hit bookstores in early October. A Beaufort spokesperson said the book has also done well in the library market, a segment whose sales are not included in the BookScan figures. 

Erin Smith, Beaufort marketing director, said there are about 45,000 copies of Jewel in the field; Beaufort had an announced first printing of 50,000 copies. Jones did her first book signing last week at Aunties, a bookstore in her hometown of Spokane, which drew 300 people. Security was on hand, but no incidents were reported.  A West Coast book tour is being planned, and Smith said she expects more media attention once the election is over. USA Today and the New York Times are considering reviews, Smith said, noting the Jones is eager to talk about the contents of the book rather than the controversy surrounding it. "This is the debut of a talented author," Smith said. Beaufort publisher Eric Kampmann is committed to promoting the title through the holidays and beyond in order to give Jones the opportunity to talk about Jewel's content. Up unitl now the attention given to Jewel "has never been about the book. We want to change that," Kampmann said. Beaufort has signed Jones to a second novel, as yet untitled, which is due out in 2009.

The 3,000 units sold to date is a respectable start for a new novel, but Jewel is unlikely to match the sales of Beaufort’s other controversial title that it published last year--O.J. Simpson’s If I Did It, which the company said sold about 100,000 copies.