THE controversial July 21 cover of The New Yorker portraying Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama as a Muslim has been a virtual sellout on newsstands.
In fact, the demand has completely overwhelmed Condé Nast’s ability to fill requests for additional copies.
The issue went off sale on Monday and preliminary estimates show single-copy sales surged 80 percent over average weekly newsstand sales, or around 75,000 copies, compared with average newsstand sales of around 43,000.
Admittedly, The New Yorker gets the bulk of its weekly sales from subscriptions since its weekly rate-base promise to advertisers is to sell 1 million copies.
Still, strong newsstand sales are an indicator of how hot a cover topic is.
Of course, some of the keepsake issues are being snapped up by opponents of Obama.
The now-infamous cartoon cover shows Obama, who is Christian, decked out in a traditional Muslim outfit, while wife Michelle is depicted clutching an AK-47, an automatic rifle favored by militant groups around the globe. Yesterday, the Pew Research Center released a study that said four in 10 Americans had heard about the controversial cover and people were divided over it.
Despite the continuing uproar, New Yorker Editor-in-Chief David Remnick insisted it was not a stunt to sell extra copies of the magazine.
“There are easier and more predictable ways to raise newsstand sales than politics and satire,” said Remnick. “I’m more than interested in the economic health of the magazine, but I think The New Yorker has always sold copies and advertising because of the reputation for journalism and literary excellence over time – and not because of any single cover.”
He continued, “I went with Barry Blitt‘s cover ‘The Politics of Fear’ because I thought it had something strong to say, shining a glaring light on all the lies and misconceptions about the Obamas – lies and misconceptions that are reflected, unfortunately, in the opinion polls. I know, and respect the fact, that some people thought the cover was a misfire, but a lot of people also felt otherwise, that it did what it was intended to do.”
Hot seller
Love him or hate him, Obama covers seem to be selling better than celebrities or rock stars.
And in most cases, his covers are selling better than those that feature his Republican rival, Sen. John McCain.
Said a spokeswoman for Time, “Of our five covers featuring Obama and/or Hillary [Clinton] . . . this year, they either sold significantly above average or above average. And the McCain cover this year sold just below average.”
In 2006, Time had one of the first big Obama covers for a major magazine. It was timed to the publication of his book, “The Audacity of Hope.” It was the second-biggest newsstand seller of that year.
But like The New Yorker, newsstand sales are not crucial to Time, since they represent less than 5 percent of its total sales.
Newsweek, meanwhile, had two McCain covers this year and six Obama covers. But officials there were not able to say at presstime how the various issues sold.
For Us Weekly, which is owned by Obama supporter Jann Wenner, the cover featuring Obama and his wife sold a lot better than the average celebrity cover, with estimated newsstand sales between 900,000 and 1 million, far above the magazine’s typical week of selling 800,000 copies.
Obama is also on the cover of the recent double issue of Rolling Stone, also owned by Wenner Media.
Insiders predict it will sell anywhere from 225,000 copies to 250,000 copies on newsstands, which is better than average for double issues.
RIP
Jerry Walker, a longtime editor of Editor & Publisher, and later senior editor at O’Dwyer’s p.r. Report and Jack O’Dwyer’s Newsletter, died July 19 at his home from a heart attack. He was 72.
Walker had retired from O’Dwyer’s in 2005 after 18 years and moved from his long-time home in New Jersey to Bluffton, NC.
A 19-year veteran of Editor & Publisher, Walker started out as a reporter and ultimately became managing editor. He was a second-generation editor at E&P; his father, Jerry Walker Sr., had been an editor for many years.
Walker served four years in the Army, where he reached the rank of lieutenant. During a stint in Germany, one of his chauffeurs was Elvis Presley.
His first job after leaving the serv ice was with the New Rochelle Standard Star.
“He had a keen eye for unusual an gles on a story and an instinct of going for the jugular,” said Jack O’Dwyer. “Journalism lost one of it most enthusiastic practitioners when he retired.” keith.kelly@nypost.com