Bill Clinton's First Novel Has Sold over 1 Million Copies

Despite only being released a few months ago on June 4, Bill Clinton’s first novel has managed to sell over 1 million copies in North America alone. Co-written with James Patterson, The President is Missing is a thriller which sees the President go undercover after a devastating cyber attack. The novel is Clinton’s first work of fiction and was no doubt helped by having such a prolific co-author on board.

As Detroit News reports, reviews for the book have been mixed but Sessalee Hensley, Barnes & Noble fiction buyer, stated that the book has benefited from “very strong” word of mouth. “In a summer marked by nonfiction successes, this novel has proven to have remarkable legs,” Hensley said.

The novel’s plot is certainly one that resonates with today’s current events. Cyber security against hackers is a major concern for nations across the world and it’s little wonder that a thriller which tackles such a topic has sparked an interest from the public. The NPD BookScan, which tracks around 85 percent of the hardcover and paperback market, has stated The President is Missing is easily the year’s biggest fiction seller and the only fiction work to crack the top 10 of the best-sellers overall for 2018. The Nonfiction chart is equally political, with releases such as Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff and A Higher Loyalty by James Comey attracting the most sales.

It’s also worth noting that Bill Clinton has now sold over 1 million books in both the fiction and nonfiction markets with The President is Missing and his biography My Life.