Joe Biden's Disappointing Post-Presidency Book Deal

Biden’s Memoir Deal Falls Short of Previous Presidents

Former President Joe Biden has signed a memoir deal that is significantly less lucrative compared to those of his predecessors, according to reports. The Wall Street Journal revealed that Biden secured an advance of roughly $10 million from the Hachette Book Group for his upcoming memoir. This amount is far lower than the advances given to previous presidents and even first ladies.

In 2017, former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama reportedly signed a joint publishing deal with Penguin Random House worth around $60 million. In contrast, former President Bill Clinton received $15 million in 2004 for the rights to his autobiography “My Life,” which is equivalent to over $26 million today after adjusting for inflation. These figures highlight a significant disparity in the financial value of memoir deals among recent U.S. presidents.

A History of Memoirs

This will be Biden’s third memoir, following “Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics,” published in 2007, and 2017’s “Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose,” which focused on his final year with his oldest son, Beau, who died from brain cancer in 2015. In comparison, Obama has also published three books, including his most recent 2020 memoir, “A Promised Land,” which sold over 890,000 copies in its first 24 hours.

Biden has been actively working on his new memoir, stating in early July that he was “working like hell with a publisher to write another 500-page book.” He noted that he was doing “a lot of research” and that the upcoming memoir will primarily focus on his four years as president. However, the release date has not yet been announced.

Health Concerns and Public Scrutiny

In May, Biden revealed that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has metastasized to the bone. This revelation has raised questions about whether the cancer was already identified while Biden was in office but kept from the public. Some experts have pointed out that prostate cancer typically takes at least five years to spread to the bone, leading to speculation about the timing of the diagnosis.

The issue of Biden’s mental decline has become a major topic of discussion, with a significant investigation by the House Oversight Committee examining the efforts by Democrats to conceal any signs of cognitive issues. Key members of Biden’s inner circle, including Anthony Bernal, former senior advisor to Jill Biden, have declined to cooperate with investigators or invoked the Fifth Amendment.

Documentation of Cognitive Decline

Multiple recent exposés have documented the extent of Biden’s failing mental acuity during his presidency. Despite dismissing concerns about his cognitive decline throughout his four years in office, many Democrats have now admitted that the former president should have stepped down much sooner. However, they have downplayed their knowledge of his condition.

During the end of his presidency, Biden issued numerous clemencies and pardons. According to The New York Times, he did not personally approve each name but signed off on the criteria and standards to be applied. All of Biden’s pardons from December 2024 to January 2025, including those for family members, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and Gen. Mark Milley, were signed by autopen, except for the preemptive pardon for his son Hunter, which he signed personally.