From Reuters: Author’s
sales jump after Osama mentions book
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An unexpected endorsement from al Qaeda leader
Osama bin Laden has resulted in a huge jump in sales for a book by a critic of U.S.
foreign policy.William Blum’s “Rogue State: A Guide to the World’s Only Superpower” was ranked
209,000 on Amazon.com’s sales list before bin Laden mentioned it in an audiotape released
on Thursday. By Friday, the book was No. 30 on the Amazon.com list.Bin Laden said al Qaeda group was preparing more attacks in the United States
but also told Americans, “It is useful for you to read the book ‘The Rogue State.’”“I was quite surprised and even shocked and amused when I found out what he’d
said,” Blum said on Friday in an interview with Reuters Television in his Washington
apartment.“I was glad. I knew it would help the book’s sales and I was not bothered by who
it was coming from.
I would imagine it would be embarrassing to receive support from a terrorist. For
this guy, not so much. He seems OK with it.