That’s one way to juice book sales.
Gov. Gavin Newsom is sweetening the deal for donors ahead of his expected presidential bid, offering supporters a free copy of his memoir, “Young Man in a Hurry,” for donations of “any amount” — a strategy that could help sales but hurt the book’s credibility, according to publishing pros.
“It’s a good book. Very personal. Not your normal political book at all,” Newsom wrote in a Jan. 31 email to supporters about his book, which lifts the lid on his supposedly strife-filled childhood as the son of a politically connected attorney in San Francisco.
Anyone who makes a donation to Newsom’s Campaign for Democracy Committee will receive a free copy of the widely-publicized memoir, the email states.
“The average cost per book is $22.45 including shipping. If you can give that, great. If you can only give $5, great,” Newsom writes.
“[We] just spent a bunch of money on passing Prop 50, so now I need to refill the coffers at my Campaign for Democracy for the fights ahead … and heaven knows there are many fights ahead,” Newsom continues in the breathless missive.
The memoir, which comes out Feb. 24, is “an intimate and poignant account of identity, belonging, and the defining moments that inspired a life in politics,” according a publisher description.
But hawking copies as a political souvenir comes with risks, according to David Johnson, a PR professional who specializes in book launches.
“This move is a disaster for him long term — as a book publicist, it reframes the book as a political trinket,” Johnson said. “It signals the book can’t stand on its own … it’s nothing but a campaign vehicle.”
Newsom’s Campaign for Democracy committee sends donations to a similarly named political action committee, according to a campaign disclosure link connected to Newsom’s Jan. 31 email.
The PAC, formed in 2023, has spent millions on political advertising, polling and other activities to help boost the California governor’s image ahead of his expected presidential run.
The wildest revelations from Gavin Newsom’s memoir
Johnson said the fundraising gimmick will help sales but could destroy credibility with smaller booksellers who would help the memoir reach a wider swath of readers.
“I’m not saying he won’t sell books off it, but how many are actually read is the bigger question,” Johnson added. “It hurts credibility with people who are in the middle politically.”
The California governor is following a well-worn playbook for presidential hopefuls.
Former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden both published memoirs before running for president. Pennsylvania Sen. Josh Shapiro, also a rumored Democratic presidential candidate in 2028, released a memoir last month called “How We Keep the Light.”
Newsom’s book delves into his childhood in San Francisco as the child of divorced parents Tessa Menzies and Bill Newsom, a powerful attorney and judge who was a fixer for billionaire oil tycoon Gordon Getty.
Newsom writes in the book that his mother struggled and that he was bullied mercilessly as he dealt with dyslexia, leading him to begin wearing “Remington Steele”-inspired suits to school at Redwood High School in exclusive Marin County, Calif.
In his 20s, he became a disciple of self-help guru Tony Robbins to learn how to project “confidence and authority,” according to Politico.
Newsom isn’t the first politician to use a book as a fundraising gimmick.
In 2015, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was knocked for using campaign dollars to bulk-order copies of his book “A Time for Truth.”
Cruz’s presidential campaign reportedly spent $122,000 to bulk-order copies of the book, leading the New York Times to leave it off its bestseller list.
Newsom could similarly get dinged for bulk-ordering, Johnson explained: “Some of the bestseller lists won’t include him, or others will include him with an asterix.”
