Penn State football: Joe Posnanski's 'Paterno' book sales underwhelm

"Paterno," the biography of the former longtime head football coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions written by Joe Posnanski, is currently experiencing a less-than-stellar sales start in stores and on the bookshelves.

"Paterno," which was released Aug. 21, has sold 29,000 copies so far, according to Nielsen Bookscan's sales tracking, writes ESPN's sports business reporter Darren Rovell.

After selling 11,439 copies in the first week, sales plummeted 42 percent, or 6,623 copies' worth, in the book's second week of shelf life, according to Rovell's report. Publisher Simon & Schuster printed 100,000 copies .

"It's clearly not the book they thought it was going to be when they bought it," said Jim Milliot, co-editorial director at the trade publication Publisher's Weekly, in the report. "It's definitely a disappointment."

Posnanski began writing the book when Paterno was still coaching at Penn State and before the child sexual abuse scandal involving his former defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky, that left an indelible stain on the late coach's legacy.