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New York Post
24-07-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Biden sells memoir for millions less than Obamas, Bill Clinton in embarrassing blow
Former President Biden has sold his presidential memoir for a $10 million advance – far less than the lucrative deals won by the Obamas and Bill Clinton, according to a report. Biden, 82, made a deal with Hachette Book Group for an advance of around $10 million, people familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal. The book's publisher, Hachette's Little, Brown & Co., has not yet set a publication date. 3 President Biden delivers his farewell address to the nation from the Oval Office in January. via REUTERS Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama, meanwhile, sold the rights to their memoirs to Penguin Random House for a record-breaking $60 million in 2017. Alfred A. Knopf, which is owned by Penguin Random House's parent firm Bertelsmann, paid $15 million for former President Bill Clinton's 2004 memoir 'My Life.' President Trump did not publish a presidential memoir after his first term. At an event earlier this month, Biden said he was 'working my tail off' to write a memoir. Biden was represented by Creative Artists Agency, which sold Hachette worldwide rights for the book. The agency also represented Biden for his 2017 memoir 'Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship and Purpose,' which chronicled his last year with his oldest son, Beau, who died from brain cancer in 2015. 3 Barack Obama's memoir 'A Promised Land.' AP Hachette and CAA did not immediately respond to The Post's requests for comment. In May, a spokesperson for Biden announced that the former president has an 'aggressive' form of prostate cancer, though it 'appears to be hormone-sensitive, which allows for effective management.' It's likely that his health could impact the timeline of his memoir's release. Biden has hinted that the memoir will cover his four years as president. The longtime politician also served eight years as vice president during the Obama administration. He dropped out of the presidential race in late July last year after a disastrous debate performance and freezing episode ramped up accusations that he was mentally unfit to serve. 3 Bill Clinton's memoir 'My Life.' AP Biden's book is set to follow the best-sold presidential memoirs in history. Within its first 24 hours, Barack's memoir 'A Promised Land' sold 890,000 copies in the US and Canada, surpassing Michelle's 'Becoming' at 725,000 first-day copies and Bill Clinton's 'My Life' at 400,000. Just one month after its release in 2020, sales of Barack's memoir had surpassed 3.3 million copies – close to the then-lifetime total of Clinton's and George W. Bush's, at 3.5 million and 4 million copies respectively.
Hindustan Times
24-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Biden Sells Memoir for Roughly $10 Million, Less Than Obama and Clinton
Former President Joe Biden has sold his presidential memoir to the Hachette Book Group for an advance in the range of $10 million, according to people familiar with the matter. The memoir's publisher, Hachette's Little, Brown & Co., hasn't yet set a publication date. Biden, who is 82, said at an event earlier this month that he was 'working my tail off' to write a memoir, and indicated that he would focus on the four years he served as president. Presidents and their spouses routinely shop memoirs after their time at the White House. Such books can provide a major source of income, and help the public figures frame their legacies. Biden was represented by Creative Artists Agency, which sold Hachette worldwide rights for the book. CAA also represented Biden for his 2017 memoir 'Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship and Purpose.' The No. 1 bestseller told the story of Biden's relationship with his oldest son, Beau, who died from brain cancer in 2015. Spokeswomen for Hachette and CAA declined to comment. A representative for Biden declined to comment. Biden's representatives said in May that the former president had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The illness was described in a statement from his personal office as a 'more aggressive form of the disease,' but one that 'appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management.' Biden's health will likely determine the timeline for completing a manuscript and any book publicity plans. Biden's lengthy political career includes an eight-year term as vice president during the Obama administration and four years as president between January 2021 and January 2025. Biden dropped out of the presidential race in late July 2024 in the face of concerns about his age and mental acuity. Some critics have said that timing contributed to Donald Trump's presidential victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, whom Biden endorsed. Penguin Random House acquired the rights to books by former U.S. President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama in 2017 for a price that was widely reported at the time as being in the range of $60 million. President Trump didn't publish a memoir after his first term in office. Alfred A. Knopf, which like Penguin Random House is owned by Bertelsmann, paid $15 million for President Bill Clinton's 2004 memoir 'My Life.' Write to Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg at
