How Republican 2023 hardcover book sales have stacked up so far
Data show that a group of prominent conservatives including 2024 presidential candidates, top GOP legislators and 2023 book authors sold hundreds of thousand hardcover copies of their 2023 titles in the first week of publication.
The 10 Republicans include former President Donald Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis, as well as Senators. According to Washington Examiner data, Josh Hawley and Marco Rubio sold at least 194,540 hardcover copies of their combined first week book in 2023. This figure is based off BookScan which tracks, according to their website, 85% of all trade print books in the United States sold by major retailers. It does not include hardcovers, audiobooks, or e-books.
You can sort out the best and worst books on politicians by identifying which are memoirs, a senior employee of the publishing industry told the Washington Examiner. Most politicians are only interested in themselves. “The books that sell better are those about topics that voters care about.”
BookScan data shows DeSantis leading the GOP presidential candidates with 94 285 hardcovers in the first week of sales for his February memoir The Courage to Be Free : Florida’s blueprint for America’s revival. Data also shows that Trump sold 15,979 hardcovers in the first week of his April book Letters to Trump by Trump-allied Winning Team Publishing. The book was, like DeSantis’, a bestseller on Amazon. Amazon’s No. 1 bestseller.
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Letters to Trump is a collection that costs around $91 on Amazon. It contains letters from celebrities, sports stars, and world leaders to the former President. BookScan’s data on its first week sales likely only captures part of the market’s success, as the book has been sold directly to consumers, and at events such as Trump rallies. This data would not be captured by the data provider.
According to the second employee, BookScan tracks sales at Barnes & Nobles, Walmarts, Targets, and Amazon. However, sales from the Seattle-based company are reported based on title metrics, not units, to help combat authors or companies who try to buy their ways onto bestseller lists. Owner of the data provider is NPD Group. This market research company has its headquarters in Port Washington, New York.
Trump’s campaign said to the Washington Examiner, “the vast majority” of Winning Team Publishing’s sales are “direct to consumer,” noting Letters to Trump sold “many more than” 15,979.
According to BookScan data, Vivek Ramaswamy, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, has sold 1,174 copies of his April book Capitalist Punishment, How Wall Street is Using Your Money To Create a Nation You Didn’t Vote for, during its first week. In an interview earlier this week with the Washington Examiner, the wealthy businessman admitted to having falsely described his voting history.
The second employee of the publishing industry who spoke to Washington Examiner said that BookScan was the industry standard for measuring book sales. BookScan is a tool that tracks and analyzes sales patterns. We understand it doesn’t include all retailers.
BookScan reports that Mike Pompeo, former Secretary of State and CIA director, published Never Give an Inch, Fighting for the America I Love in January. The book sold 34,630 copies in its first week. Pompeo says he is “pleased” that so many Americans have read and purchased the book.
He told the Washington Examiner that he thought the book was popular because it didn’t focus on him, but rather the Americans he served with and how they never gave up fighting for America. “We tried to make the book interesting and fun for audiences who would not normally read a political work.
BookScan data shows that ex-Rep. Trey Gowdy sold 18,482 copies of his January book, Start, Leave, or Stay: The Art of Making Decisions, and ex-Rep. Jason Chaffetz, whose June book, The puppeteers: The people who control the people who control America, sold 10,412 copies of hardcover in its first week.
David McCormick’s March book Superpower in Peril : A Battle Plan for Renewing America, which he unsuccessfully ran for the Pennsylvania Senate in 2022, sold 9,170 hardcover copies in the first week.
McCormick told Washington Examiner that “our nation is in decline and people are asking their leaders to provide a roadmap for renewal.” McCormick is considering a Senate run in 2024. “I’m grateful that my plan to educate the American people, face China and restore America resonates with so many and I hope that these ideas will become reality in Washington.”
BookScan reports that Kari Lake’s book, published by Winning Team Publishing in June, sold 1,715 hardcovers during its first week. Lake, who is said to be one of four women considered as Trump’s potential vice presidential choice, could also run for Arizona Senate.
Amazon describes Lake’s book as “An unmatched advocate for the America First Movement, Kari Lake, in her first book ‘Unafraid : Just Getting Started’, outlines her journey, from being the most loved newscaster and broadcast journalism in Arizona to becoming the leader of Arizona’s largest grassroots movement.”
BookScan reports that Rubio’s book, Decades of Decadence: How America’s Spoiled Elites Blew America’s Inheritance of Liberty, Security, and Prosperity, sold 5,382 hardcovers in its first week. The book is a collection of essays on China, globalization and open borders.
Rubio said to the Washington Examiner that “America faces serious problems and we must understand how we arrived at this point before we can fix them.” “Welcoming China to the [World Trade Organization] wasn’t just a turning point. Washington and Wall Street made bad decisions for decades. “The good news is the post-Cold War era consensus is crumbling. But we won’t get America back on course unless we learn lessons from our past.”
BookScan reports that Hawley’s Manhood: the Masculine Virtues America needs, published in May, has sold 3,311 hardcovers. The book, according to a spokesman of the senator, has sold approximately 14,0
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