DeSantis’ new memoir sales higher in first week than Trump’s, Obama’s, or Hillary’s

Sales for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ newly-released memoir, “The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Survival,” far outpaced memoirs released previously by Donald Trump, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton in its first week.

DeSantis’ book was released on February 28 and sold 94,300 copies in its first week. The numbers are notably high compared to memoirs released by other high profile politicians ahead of their presidential bids. Trump’s 2015 book “Crippled America” sold only 27,687 copies its first week, and Hillary Clinton’s 2014 book “Hard Choices” sold 86,200 in its first week according to BookScan.

DeSantis’ book was a surprisingly popular release in the same week Publisher’s Weekly reported a dip in sales of print books for the week. “A small decline in print book sales last week came despite a 6.7% increase in adult fiction sales and a strong showing for ‘The Courage to Be Free’ by Florida governor Ron DeSantis, which was the top-selling book for the week,” PW said on its website.

DeSantis is widely expected to make an imminent announcement about his run for president in the 2024 general election. Thus far, the only serious GOP contenders who have announced their candidacies are former president Donald Trump and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, who worked for Trump during his time in the White House.