Millions watched Elizabeth Alexander read a poem last month at President Barack Obama's inauguration. But few, so far, have wanted to buy it.
Nielsen BookScan, which tracks about 75 percent of sales, says Alexander's "Praise Song for the Day: A Poem for Barack Obama's Presidential Inauguration" has sold just 6,000 copies so far.
The poem was published Feb. 6 as a paperback by Graywolf Press with an announced first printing of 100,000 copies.
The inaugural reading by Alexander, a highly regarded poet, apparently lacked the spark of predecessor Maya Angelou, whose "On the Pulse of the Morning" — read at President Bill Clinton's 1993 inaugural — became a million seller.
Alexander was just the fourth inaugural poet, following Robert Frost, Angelou and Miller Williams.