LOS ANGELES, July 13 (Reuters Life!) - Rescued kidnap victim Jaycee Dugard's book, "A Stolen Life," sold 175,000 copies in its first day of release, publisher Simon & Schuster said on Wednesday.
The book, written by Dugard, went on sale July 12 and included print books, audiobooks narrated by Dugard and nearly 100,000 ebooks. "Stolen Life" set a new record for the publishing house for one day ebook sales, Simon & Schuster said.
Dugard was kidnapped at the age of 11 by convicted sex offender Phillip Garrido and kept in captivity for 18 years where she was raped, handcuffed and gave birth to two girls fathered by Garrido.
She was rescued in northern California along with her two daughters in 2009, when Garrido aroused suspicion while on campus at a northern California university.
Dugard has since been reunited with the family that lost her in 1991 and she lives with her mother and her two children.
Garrido was sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping and multiple counts of sexual assault. His wife, Nancy, was sentenced to 36 years.
Her family has received a $20 million settlement through a state victims' compensation fund.
"Stolen Life" covers the period from her abduction in 1991 to present day. The book was recently excerpted in People magazine and Dugard was interviewed by Diane Sawyer on ABC's "Primetime" July 10. The show was watched by almost 15 million viewers, making it the most-watched TV program of the night.
"Clearly the book has touched a nerve," said Jonathan Karp, executive vice president and publisher of Simon & Schuster. "The millions of people who read the excerpt in People magazine and watched Jaycee Dugard's interview on Diane Sawyer want to hear more of her voice, on the page, and the comments we're seeing online indicate that readers are finding inspiration in Jaycee Dugard's strength and resilience."
Simon & Schuster said it has already gone back to press five times on "Stolen Life" for a total of 425,000 copies in print.