Thanks in part to Trump's threats, you can pick up a copy of Michael Wolff's Fire and Fury on Friday
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
On Wednesday night, a lawyer for President Trump, Charles Harder, sent a cease-and-desist letter to publisher Henry Holt, warning it to stop "any further publication, release, or dissemination" of Michael Wolff's book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House. Instead, Henry Holt announced Thursday that it pushed up the release date by five days. "Due to unprecedented demand, we are moving the on-sale date for all formats of Fire and Fury, by Michael Wolff, to Friday, Jan. 5, at 9 a.m. ET," the publisher said. Book sellers were informed of the decision earlier in the day.
Wolff thanked Trump — and presumably Trump's decision to try to stop publication of the book — for the free publicity.
Wolff will also appear on NBC's Today on Friday, a few days earlier than scheduled. Juicy excerpts from the book and quotes from Stephen Bannon and other Trump insiders had already pushed the unreleased book to No. 1 on Amazon, and Trump's furious pushback almost certainly pushed sales much higher.
Article continues belowThe Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Henry Holt said it had received Harder's cease-and-desist letter but wasn't swayed by it. "We see Fire and Fury as an extraordinary contribution to our national discourse, and are proceeding with the publication of the book," a spokesman said. Legal experts say the threats of a lawsuit are probably hollow.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
