Simon & Schuster Backs Out Of 'Comprehensive' Book About Biden Because Books About Biden Aren't Selling

Book sales for titles related to Joe Biden are so low that publishing giant Simon & Schuster backed out of a deal with a journalist writing a book about the current president.

In 2021, Politico announced that reporter Alex Thompson — who worked at the outlet at the time – signed a contract with Simon & Schuster to author "a comprehensive book on Biden’s presidency."

This week, Politico announced that the publisher changed its mind and cited the "soft market for books about President Joe Biden." 

Thompson confirmed the news on X, adding he's looking for a new publisher. "If you’re a publisher and interested, email/number in bio," he said.

Simon & Schuster considered the recent sales of three other Biden-related titles before axing Thompson's project. 

Specifically, Gabriel Debenedetti's "The Long Alliance" (from Sep. 2022) has sold just 1,500 hardcover copies, while Chris Whipple’s "The Fight of His Life" (Jan. 2023) and Franklin Foer‘s "The Last Politician"  (Sep. 2023) have sold 5,000 and 12,000 books, respectively.

Those are Jemele Hill-like sales. They are bad.

By contrast, notable titles about Donald Trump still sell hundreds of thousands of copies – be it negative or positive.  Author Michael Wolff penned a "Fire and Fury" sequel called "Siege: Trump Under Fire" in 2019, selling around 1 million copies. 

Books about Barack Obama and even Hillary Clinton, on average, outpace titles featuring Biden. 

While Trump, Obama, and Hillary certainly have passionate detractors -- they also have staunch supporters. Biden doesn't. 

At best, Biden's support is lukewarm. He's a placeholder. His own party tried to push Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, and Pete Buttigieg past him in the 2020 primary. Biden is the Democratic leader by default. "

The lesser of two evils "phenomenon is the only chance to win re-election in 2024. 

President Joe Biden. (Credit: Getty Images)

Simply put, Biden is not that interesting because he's likely not the one running the country. The only intrigue is to whom he answers. Put me down for Susan Rice and a few other Obama operatives. 

Now, that – a book about Biden's handlers – would sell many, many copies. Title it "Trojan Horse." 

Joe Biden is a Trojan Horse, a moderate face of a radical agenda. 

We assume Alex Thompson's "comprehensive" book won't provide such details. He's not exactly an objective reporter of the news. Thompson worked at Politico and now Axios, to be specific.

Books about Biden rarely uncover notes of any worth. They mostly read like mere pages of propagandistic, pre-approved drivel in defense of the president. 

For all Simon & Schuster's biases, faults, and peculiar partnerships – the company appears to have made the right business decision here.