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September 27, 2020

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First volume of Obama’s memoir slated for November 17 release

THE first volume of former President Barack Obama’s memoir — “A Promised Land” — will be released on November 17, chronicling his swift and historic rise to the White House and first term in office.

“I’ve spent the last few years reflecting on my presidency, and in ‘A Promised Land’ I’ve tried to provide an honest accounting of my presidential campaign and my time in office ­— the key events and people who shaped it; my take on what I got right and the mistakes I made; and the political, economic and cultural forces that my team and I had to confront then and that as a nation we are grappling with still,” Obama said. “In the book, I’ve also tried to give readers a sense of the personal journey that Michelle and I went through during those years, with all the incredible highs and lows. And finally, at a time when America is going through such enormous upheaval, the book offers some of my broader thoughts on how we can heal the divisions in our country going forward and make our democracy work for everybody — a task that won’t depend on any single president, but on all of us as engaged citizens.”

Like Obama’s previous books, “A Promised Land” will be released by Crown, a division of Penguin Random House.

The 768-page work is the most anticipated presidential memoir in years due to the high quality of Obama’s writing. He has been called the most literary president since Abraham Lincoln, and has already written two highly praised best-sellers: “Dreams from My Father” and “The Audacity of Hope,” both of which have been cited as aiding his campaign in 2008 and making him the country’s first Black president.

Even with a substantial list price of US$45, “A Promised Land” is virtually guaranteed to sell millions of copies, with an initial printing of 3 million copies. Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt likened the enthusiasm for Obama’s book, which seems well positioned to become the best-selling presidential memoir in history, to the final volume of J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series.

“This will be a book of rare consequence,” Daunt said.

“That it will sell like no other book since 2007 is immensely appealing to booksellers.

“‘Dreams from My Father’ introduced us to a writer of poetic grace. ‘The Audacity of Hope’ gave thrilling vision to Obama’s ambitions for the presidency. ‘A Promised Land’ offers a grand, retrospective narrative of his Presidency.”

The book will face challenges far different than most presidential memoirs — even from former first lady Michelle Obama’s blockbuster book “Becoming,” which was released two years ago and has sold more than 10 million copies. Because of the pandemic, the former president isn’t likely to match his wife’s arena tour. He may also find his memoir is released at a time when the November 3 presidential election is still undecided, and the country far more preoccupied with who the next president will be than with past events.

Obama has taken longer than most recent presidents to complete his memoir, with the first volume coming nearly four years after the end of his second term. (George W. Bush’s “Decision Points,” a single volume, arrived within two years). He has been writing during unusual times, even before the pandemic took hold earlier this year. His successor, Donald Trump, has attacked and upended achievements of his administration, ranging from the Iran nuclear treaty to “Obamacare.” Whether Trump or Obama’s vice president, Joe Biden, wins the election may affect Obama’s legacy and could influence the way people read his memoir.

Obama is not the first president to publish more than one memoir volume; Dwight Eisenhower also wrote two. However, Obama was expected to write only one when Penguin Random House announced a multimillion joint publication deal with him and his wife in 2017.

Last Thursday, Crown’s David Drake cited the scale of Obama’s ambition to write a book that captures the experiences of being president and offers an inspiring story for young people.

“As his writing progressed and the scope of the memoirs continued to grow, he ultimately decided to write two volumes,” Drake said.

The November release will be welcomed not only by Obama fans, but also by booksellers and fellow publishers who anticipate the book’s massive demand will increase sales across the board during the holiday season. Its popularity may also present another complication — the US publishing industry has struggled with chronic printing shortages over the past two years leading to frequent delays. Drake said Crown has taken several measures to minimize disruption, from printing one-third of the copies in Germany to arranging for an American printing plant scheduled to close in October to remain open for two additional months.

“The president’s book should not impact the US print market more significantly than other major best-sellers of late,” Drake said.

The publication date for the second volume of Obama’s memoir hasn’t yet been determined.




 

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