Pistorius book not selling well

The sale of paralympian Oscar Pistorius' biography has not done well after he was arrested and charged for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Enquiries by The Star at bookshops in Gauteng indicated that while newspapers publishing articles on Pistorius were flying off the shelves, the attention on him failed to have an effect on the sale of his book, which was released in August.

The newspaper reported that one response was that it should be "chucked into the bin next to Lance Armstrong".

Kalahari.net has been advertising the book at a discounted price on sites that are running articles on the Pistorius court case.

A sales assistant at Exclusive Books at OR Tambo International Airport said the book was a hit last year after the Paralympic Games, but that it had not been selling well lately.

A manager at a Books Galore branch, identifying herself as Ashley, said people had not shown an interest in buying it.

At Exclusive Books in Brooklyn Mall, Pretoria, the response was similar. Christo Kellermann said: "Maybe people are waiting until this is over before they buy it."

Another bookstore manager, who did not want to be named, said there been "no explosion in the sales of the book or a rush of customers placing orders for it."

The newspaper also reported that the publishers of Sarie and GQ magazines -- whose covers featured Pistorius -- had ordered that their magazines be taken off the shelves the day after Steenkamp was shot dead.