Trump Books

 

Alexandra Alter and Elizabeth A. Harris have an article in today's times about the proliferation of books about Trump, the Trump oranization, the Trump administration, and the Trump family. It is quite amazing that these books still sell so well.

In the last four years, there have been more than 1,200 unique titles about Mr. Trump, compared to around 500 books about former President Barack Obama and his administration during Mr. Obama’s first term, according to an analysis by NPD BookScan. There have been so many high-profile books about the Trump era that there’s even a forthcoming book about all the Trump books: “What Were We Thinking,” by the Washington Post book critic Carlos Lozada, who surveys some 150 titles that try to explain how Trump won and has governed, and what his presidency tells us about the country that elected him.

But my favorite part of the article is when Alter and Harris describe what happens when Trump says he likes a book:

While Mr. Trump provides the source material for these books, he doesn’t appear to have the ability to boost sales of the ones he likes. Earlier this year, he tweeted to his 86 million followers about a book called “Trump and Churchill: Defenders of Western Civilization,” by Nick Adams. According to NPD BookScan, the book has only sold 2,810 copies since May. Post Hill Press, which published the book, said it has a follow-up, “Trump and Reagan,” coming in 2021.

“When Donald Trump recommends a book, it has little impact on sales, but when Trump hates a book, it rockets to No. 1,” said Mr. Latimer, the Washington literary agent. “You pray for Trump to hate your book, and you pray for him to tweet about it.”