Prince Harry’s ‘Spare’ Book Labeled ‘Critic-Proof’

TL;DR: 

• Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, is set to be released on Jan. 10, 2023.  
• The book is expected to perform well no matter when it’s released. 
• Public interest in Prince Harry and the British royal family will reportedly make Spare nearly “critic-proof” as it relates to sales. 

Spare officially has a release date. Prince Harry’s long-awaited memoir will hit shelves in January 2023. The subject of many conversations among royal experts and watchers alike, to some it’s “critic-proof.” Ahead, why it doesn’t matter if it receives less than glowing reviews. Plus, why the timing of the release is “almost irrelevant.”  

The release date of Prince Harry’s memoir is ‘almost irrelevant’

Yes, the Duke of Sussex’s book will be released globally nearly three years to the day he and Meghan Markle announced their decision to “step back.” However, it’s been suggested the date, no matter its significance, is practically immaterial. 

“Prince Harry’s memoir is such a highly anticipated release that it becomes almost irrelevant when he releases it,” Rutger Bruining, founder and CEO of the memoir-writing service StoryTerrace, told Newsweek.

Bruining also noted Spare would likely perform “marginally better” were it to hit shelves closer to the holiday season. Due to the “secrecy” and hype, “every new update on it generates sensationalist headlines, which keeps the discourse about the book fresh at any point,” he explained.

Negative reviews aren’t likely to stop Prince Harry’s ‘Spare’ book from selling

Negative reviews from critics won’t do much to impact sales for Spare. “Given Harry’s stature, his book is almost impervious to release timings and the market considerations that impact most authors,” Bruining said.

“Even if the book is panned by critics, the public’s fascination with Harry and the royal family is strong enough to make the book pretty much critic-proof from a sales perspective,” he continued. 

Once again, it comes back to the anticipation of Harry’s memoir. “The anticipation behind it means that it will perform well no matter when it is released,” Bruining said. 

Additionally, Spare’s January release date means less competition for similar titles. The reason being “most publishers focus on ‘New Year-New You’ self-help related titles.”

Furthermore, Harry won’t be competing with Michelle Obama, whose book The Light Inside debuts Nov. 15 via Penguin Random House.

‘Spare’ is Prince Harry’s ‘story at last’

In an October press release, Penguin Random House finally unveiled the title, cover, and release date for Harry’s memoir. In doing so, the publisher offered some details on what to expect. 

“‘Spare’ takes readers immediately back to one of the most searing images of the twentieth century: two young boys, two princes, walking behind their mother’s coffin as the world watched in sorrow — and horror,” the publisher said in a statement per Today. 

“As Diana, Princess of Wales, was laid to rest, billions wondered what the princes must be thinking and feeling — and how their lives would play out from that point on,” the statement continued. 

“For Harry, this is his story at last. With its raw, unflinching honesty, ‘Spare’ is a landmark publication full of insight, revelation, self-examination and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief.” 

Harry’s Spare memoir debuts on Jan. 10, 2023.