Death And Misery Sell
A big magazine industry report came out, and it turns out People magazine's top selling regular issue last year featured Owen Wilson on the cover just after his attempted suicide. People's biggest seller so far in 2008 was about Heath Ledger's death. The magazine's top sellers of all time were Sept. 12, 2001 and just after Princess Diana died. But death and misery do not rule completely:
First of all, the numbers for 2007 don't include special People issues like "Sexiest Man Alive."
Also, at the other celebrity magazines, lighter covers topped the sales rankings:
OK!... found a pending birth story on the pregnancy of teen tart Jamie Lynn Spears to be its top seller. The magazine hit newsstands at New Year's Eve and claimed sales of well more than 1 million copies...
Us Weekly's best issue was a surprise: Jessica Simpson's losing of 20 pounds in two months....
Star's best seller was the 36 best and worst beach bodies, while its worst was "Angelina Jolie Babies in Danger."