Former President Joe Biden has reportedly sold his presidential memoir.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Biden sold the book to Hachette Book Group, with Little, Brown and Company set to publish it. Biden is reportedly getting $10 million for the book.
While a $10 million advance might sound impressive at first glance, it’s actually a paltry payday compared to what other presidents have commanded for their memoirs. In 2017, Penguin Random House shelled out a jaw-dropping $60 million for the combined book rights for Barack and Michelle Obama. Bill Clinton landed $15 million for his 2004 memoir “My Life,” and George W. Bush secured a $10 million deal for “Decision Points” in 2010, a figure that would be worth roughly $15 million today when adjusted for inflation.
By comparison, Biden’s $10 million haul in 2025 dollars doesn’t just fall short; it pales in real value next to Bush’s deal from fifteen years ago.
According to a report from the Daily Mail, the Bidens are likely not happy with the advance due to how much it lags behind those of their predecessors.
Joe Biden has suffered a humiliating blow after shopping his post-presidential memoir to publishers and securing an advance far less than his predecessors.
The former president, 82, sold his presidential memoir to Hachette Book Group for around $10million, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
The monetary figure is likely to be disappointing for the Bidens, given Barack and Michelle Obama inked a deal worth an estimated $65million for their memoirs.
The paper pointed out that the $10 million advance is likely a huge letdown for the Bidens, especially after insiders suggested that a joint book deal featuring both Joe and Jill could have fetched as much as $30 million. They could have used every dollar because Hunter Biden has a lot of debts to pay, including legal fees, back taxes, and child support. A $10 million deal won’t stretch far in Bidenworld, especially with lawyers on speed dial and influence peddling no longer paying what it used to.
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Creative Artists Agency, the Hollywood powerhouse behind Biden’s latest book deal, is the same outfit that negotiated the deal for his 2017 bestseller, “Promise Me, Dad,” a memoir about his son Beau that also served as a soft launch of his eventual 2020 presidential campaign.
If Biden’s previous attempts at storytelling are any indication, readers can expect a revisionist puff piece full of half-truths, omissions, and the usual “Dark Brandon” mythology. And considering his well-documented issues with cognitive decline, one can only imagine how much of this book will be written by committee.
This book is unlikely to recoup the $10 million advance. He’d likely have to sell at least a million copies for his publisher to recoup the advance. Is it possible? As of 2019, “Promise Me, Dad” had sold only 300,000 copies. His presidential memoir should do better than that, but I think it will at best double that number. No one in his party cares about him anymore.
There’s no release date yet, but Biden insists he’s “working my tail off” on the manuscript. Sure, he is. This is the same guy who needed an autopen to sign executive orders and pardons. Now we’re supposed to believe he’s hunched over a keyboard crafting a memoir? Please.
After all the hype, Biden’s $10 million memoir deal doesn’t just disappoint—it exposes how little the market values his legacy. PJ Media is shining a spotlight on these uncomfortable truths the mainstream media won’t touch. Join the fight—become a PJ Media VIP and unlock exclusive content, and enjoy an ad-free experience. Use promo code FIGHT for 60% off. Don’t wait, join today and demand the truth!
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