'Ton of hype': Victoria book stores brace for sales of Prince Harry's memoir

Copies of the new book by Prince Harry called "Spare" are placed on a shelf of a book store during a midnight opening in London, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. Prince Harry's memoir “Spare” arrives in bookstores on Tuesday, providing a varied portrait of the Duke of Sussex and the royal family. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Vancouver Island book stores say they're prepared for sales of Prince Harry’s memoir, "Spare," that hit shelves Tuesday.

Stores on the island say they are well stocked with the biography and that publisher Penguin Random House has produced copious copies in expectation of surrounding hype of the publication.

"We received tons of phone calls, emails, pre-orders," said Andrea Minter, the owner of Russell Books in Victoria, just minutes after unboxing the book to stock the store's best-seller shelves.

"There’s a ton, a ton, of hype around the world for this book," she said.

The explosive memoir has already reached online best-seller lists, which local bookstores expected as pre-sales were highly sought.

The Greater Victoria Library says more than 1,000 people are on the waitlist for a physical, audio, or digital copy of the book.

Meanwhile, Munro's Books in Victoria told CTV News it had ordered hundreds of copies of the memoir, with about 50 pre-orders scheduled by Monday.

"Anything more than 20 really shows a healthy interest in a book," said Munro's Books managing partner Jessica Walker.

The hype is in part because the book promises a behind-the-curtain look at the Royal Family, and because of bombshell interviews Harry had done to promote the memoir.

Harry spoke to Britain’s ITV and CBS's 60 Minutes to promote his book, which has generated incendiary headlines with its details of private, emotional turmoil and bitter family resentments.

"There’s a lot of interest in what goes on," said Minter. "It is going to be exciting and I am actually looking forward to reading it myself as well."