The contract between a prominent publisher and an author writing a book on Joe Biden’s presidency was unexpectedly terminated due to a market analysis revealing insufficient public interest in the project. According to The Post Millennial, Simon & Schuster decided to end its agreement with Alex Thompson, a national political correspondent for Axios, as they predicted low sales figures.
“The decision, revealed by two sources familiar with the matter to Daniel Lippman at Politico, comes amidst lackluster sales for books pertaining to Biden, in stark contrast to the success enjoyed by publications discussing President Donald Trump,” the outlet reported.
Lippman noted on the X platform: “In another sign of the soft Biden book market, Simon and Schuster has withdrawn its contract with Axios’ Alex Thompson for a book about the Biden administration, two sources told me. The book was originally scheduled to be published early this year.”
SCOOP: In another sign of the soft Biden book market, Simon and Schuster has withdrawn its contract with Axios’ Alex Thompson for a book about the Biden administration, two sources told me. The book was originally scheduled to be published early this year. https://t.co/IC0pMnDxKj pic.twitter.com/qKy1vr8IoC
— Daniel Lippman (@dlippman) March 27, 2024
Thompson confirmed in his own post that the publisher has withdrawn from the agreement.
“It’s true. But still writing it and aiming for 2025 to tell the story of the Biden presidency. If you’re a publisher and interested, email/number in bio,” he wrote.
it’s true.
But still writing it and aiming for 2025 to tell the story of the Biden presidency.
If you’re a publisher and interested, email/number in bio. https://t.co/3VKjuIsBzn— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) March 27, 2024
Thompson’s publication on Biden’s presidency was initially scheduled for an earlier release this year. The book had been anticipated to offer a comprehensive examination of the transition at the White House, enriched by Thompson’s extensive coverage of the administration, which provided unique perspectives. Despite Thompson’s reputation for reporting on Biden’s administration, he opted not to respond to Politico’s inquiry and instead decided to quote-tweet, declining to comment.
According to Politico, the cancellation of this Biden-focused book is merely the most recent occurrence in a series of underwhelming sales for publications centered around the 46th president.
“GABRIEL DEBENEDETTI’s ‘The Long Alliance’ has sold around 1,500 hardcover copies, according to NPD BookScan, while CHRIS WHIPPLE’s ‘The Fight of His Life’ has sold around 5,000 and FRANKLIN FOER‘s ‘The Last Politician’ around 12,000. That compares to the nearly 1 million copies that MICHAEL WOLFF’s Trump-focused ‘Fire and Fury’ sold, also per NPD BookScan, and the more than 400,000 copies sold of BOB WOODWARD and ROBERT COSTA’s ‘Peril.’”