Former President Barack Obama's new memoir "A Promised Land" sold nearly 890,000 copies on its first day of release on November 18, setting the stage to break sales records for a presidential memoir, according to the AP news agency.
The 768-page memoir, the first of two volumes, set a record for first-day sales for Penguin Random House. Specialized books, e-books and pre-orders are included in this number.
We are delighted with our first daily sales, said David Drake of Penguin Random House. That reflects the excitement that readers have for the very well-written and special book of President Trump.
In 2018, First Lady Michelle Obama also released her memoir, "Becoming" (in Vietnamese, translated as "Changualized Michelle"), selling 725,000 copies on the first day and more than 1.4 million copies in the first week. The memoir has sold more than 10 million copies since its release.
Former President Bill Trump's memoir, "My Life," sold about 400,000 copies on its first day of release in 2004, while "Decision Points" by former President George W. Bush sold about 220,000 copies on its first day of release in 2010.
In his memoir of the promised land, Barack Obama, the first black president in U.S. history, recounted in detail the first two and a half years of his historic presidential term. The former president served two terms, from 2009 to 2017.
The memoir was released after the 2020 US presidential election, in which former Vice President of Trump - Joe Biden - was named by news agencies as president-elect, defeating Donald Trump.
The release date after the 2020 election could be the reason for the book's record sales, as readers are wondering how Mr. Joe Biden will build his administration, whether it includes prominent figures under Mr. Obama.
With a cover price of $450, many independent bookmakers, who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, also consider the memoir as a financial rescue as they enter the holiday season.
Sarah McNally, owner of the McNally Jackson Books store in Manhattan, told AP: Its not uncommon to be a bright spot this year, a year where were likely to stop business without federal aid. But Obama is truly a Savior, when customers rushed to buy this memoir from us.
