Barack Obama's new memoir is breaking sales records

Former President Barack Obama's new memoir, A Promised Land, has already shattered one record, and appears to be on track to breaking a few more.

In the first 24 hours of its release, A Promised Land sold almost 890,000 copies in the United States and Canada. This includes e-books, audio books, and pre-orders, and is a first day sales record for publisher Penguin Random House. Former first lady Michelle Obama's 2018 memoir, Becoming, sold 725,000 copies in North America on its first day, and remains a bestseller for Crown, the imprint that publishes the Obamas.

David Drake, the publisher of Crown, told The Associated Press he is "thrilled with the first day sales. They reflect the widespread excitement that readers have for President Obama's highly anticipated and extraordinarily written book."

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AP reports that based on the numbers, Obama's book will likely become the best-selling presidential memoir in modern history. On their first days of release, former President Bill Clinton's My Life sold about 400,000 copies in North America, while former President George W. Bush's Decision Points sold about 220,000 copies. Both books have since sold between 3.5 and 4 million copies.