'Extraordinary' Demand for Obama Memoir Expected

No. 44's 'A Promised Land' is due out Nov. 17, right after the election
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 17, 2020 8:25 AM CDT
'Extraordinary' Demand for Obama Memoir Expected
In this image from video, former President Barack Obama speaks during the third night of the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 19, 2020.   (Democratic National Convention via AP)

A release date has been set for the first part of former President Obama's memoir, and demand is expected to be "extraordinary," the New York Times reports. A Promised Land, the 768-page first installation of a two-volume set, will debut globally on Nov. 17 via Penguin Random House and be available in more than two dozen languages. The $45 book will focus on everything from the former president's early political ventures and his first run for the White House in 2008 all the way up to when Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011. "There's no feeling like finishing a book, and I'm proud of this one," Obama says in a statement. "I've spent the last few years reflecting on my presidency," and in this book, "I've tried to provide an honest accounting of my presidential campaign and my time in office," including "all the incredible highs and lows."

The AP calls the memoir "the most anticipated presidential memoir in memory," not just because of the content, but also because Obama is known to be an excellent writer, sometimes called "the most literary president since Abraham Lincoln." The Crown imprint putting out the memoir thinks so many people will want to scoop it up that it has ordered 3 million copies for the first run in the US; 1 million of those books will be printed in Germany and transported to America in more than 100 shipping containers on three ships. An Obama rep says that the former president didn't want to release the memoir before the election in November, as he didn't want it taking away from his efforts to help Joe Biden campaign for the presidency. It's not yet clear when the second volume of his memoir will hit the shelves. (More Barack Obama stories.)

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