New York, Jan 20 : Despite Sarah Palin''s huge book sales and TV ratings, In Touch Weekly''s gamble on the former Alaska governor didn''t pay off.

The magazine paid 100,000 dollars for a cover story on Palin and her daughter, Bristol, for the current issue but sources said that In Touch sold about 500,000 copies on newsstands.

This is half the number it sold a few weeks ago with the late Brittany Murphy on the cover, reports the New York Post.

According to insiders, political covers don''t usually sell well for supermarket weeklies.

Now the magazine will return to Hollywood with Angelina Jolie on the front page. (ANI)