OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
A major publisher abruptly canceled a contract with an author for a book about Joe Biden’s presidency after a market analysis indicated there was little public interest in the project.
The Post Millennial reported Friday that Simon & Schuster terminated its contract with Alex Thompson, Axios’ national political correspondent, after determining that sales would not likely be very robust.
“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Lippman noted on the X platform: “In another sign of the soft Biden book market, Simon and Schuster has withdrawn its contract with Axios’ Alex Thompson for a book about the Biden administration, two sources told me.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SCOOP: In another sign of the soft Biden book market, Simon and Schuster has withdrawn its contract with Axios’ Alex Thompson for a book about the Biden administration, two sources told me.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
In an X post of his own, Thompson confirmed that the publisher has backed out of the deal.
“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 book on Biden’s presidency was supposed to be released earlier this year. The book was expected to provide an in-depth analysis of the White House transition with fresh insights from Thompson’s extensive coverage of the administration. Thompson, who is well-known for his reporting on Biden’s administration, declined to comment on Politico’s request and instead chose to quote-tweet.
The cancellation of the Biden-themed book is just the latest in a string of poor sales on tomes about the 46th president, per Politico:
“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.'”
Biden’s dismal approval rating on issues of importance to most voters this election cycle is certainly one of the big reasons why book sales about him and his presidency are not doing well.
Earlier this month, a leading pollster took a deep dive into the results of a new survey regarding President Joe Biden’s job performance and approval one year out from the election, explaining that the data is much worse for him than what’s been reported in the so-called ‘mainstream’ media.
“Key demographic groups aren’t just mad at Joe Biden; they’re abandoning him in droves. When you consider his historically low polls, this isn’t a traditional ‘presidential slump’ that can be brushed off and fixed with some stumping and handshaking. What we’re witnessing right now, and what the media won’t tell you, is that this is a ‘CODE RED’ in the political world. We’re watching the complete collapse of a political figure, and the media is in a frenzy, trying to cover it up,” Revolver News reported.
Pollster Richard Baris added: “The Suffolk/USAToday Poll is showing what we’re all seeing, which is NOT a normal weak showing 1-year out for an incumbent president seeking re-election.
“Historically, he’s far below Barack Obama at this point (who won) and significantly lower than Donald Trump (who lost). H.W. Bush was higher, but his approval was falling RAPIDLY from far higher than Biden has ever been,” he added.
