Barack Obama’s memoir called ‘A Promised Land’ is on a good way to become an all-time best-selling presidential memoir.
Just 24 hours after kicking off its sales in North America, the former U.S. president’s memoir had already sold 890,000 copies in the US and Canada even though the publisher has yet to release a paperback format.
As The Crown Publishing Group, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House, confirmed, they “are thrilled with the first day sales,” whereas the memoir reportedly broke the publishing company’s record for sales made within 24 hours by selling nearly one million copies, including e-books, audios, and pre-orders, in just a day.
“We are thrilled with the first day sales. They reflect the widespread excitement that readers have for President Obama’s highly anticipated and extraordinarily written book,” said David Drake of the Penguin Random House subsidiary Crown.
Obama has broken the record for memoir sales made within the 24-hour window which was previously held by his wife, Michelle, whose Becoming racked up 725,000 sales within the first day after its release.
Since Becoming’s release in 2018, the memoir has sold over 10 million copies worldwide, a milestone that Barack might overcome in the following months or years.
As the CEO of Barnes & Noble, one of the world’s largest online bookstores, confirmed, the company sold tens of thousands of copies of A Promised Land on the first day.
“So far it has been neck and neck with Michelle Obama’s book,” CEO James Daunt said.
On the day of its release, the memoir also appeared as the No. 1 seller on the company’s website as well as on Amazon.com.
Previous presidential memoirs came nowhere close to the works of the Obama couple when it comes to the number of sales. While Bill Clinton’s memoir called My Life sold some 400,000 copies within 24 hours of its release in North America, George W. Bush’s Decision Points sold some 220,000 copies within the first day.
While Barack Obama’s A Promised Land broke the record for memoir sales made within a 24-hour period, the fastest-selling book in the world remains J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows which reportedly sold over 8 million copies in just a day.
Replaced!