With three editions from traditional publishers—plus Espresso machines printing copies at bookstores—the report grants the industry another political sales boost
The Mueller Report is quite a hit, especially for a book in the public domain that can be read for free. Three publishers have brought out print and ebook editions for purchase: Simon & Schuster’s edition offers contextualizing commentary from The Washington Post staff. Another edition from Skyhorse features an introduction from constitutional attorney Alan Dershowitz. And a third edition, from Melville House, has no added text. (At The New Yorker, Tyler Foggatt discusses the historical precedent for government reports published as trade books; the first was the Warren Commission report on the John F. Kennedy assassination.)
Even in March, the Dershowitz-enhanced edition—sight unseen—was charting as a number-one bestseller on pre-order. On March 27 Audible announced they’d be recording a free audiobook edition, which they estimated would run to 29 hours. (It actually runs something over 19 hours.) As of this writing, the Simon & Schuster edition is at number one at Amazon in Biographies and Espionage, Intelligence and Espionage, and National and International Security. It was also at number two on The Wall Street Journal’s ebook nonfiction list.
About ten days ago, Publishers Weekly’s Alex Green noted that in-store Espresso machines were churning out copies on demand at Shakespeare & Co. (New York) and the Harvard Book Store (Cambridge). Chris Meadows at TeleRead picks up on several interesting moments during the report’s route to publication, including the fact that what was touted as a free Nook edition is simply the PDF that you can read free at the Justice Department site. (What’s more, he writes, the PDF Association has been critical of the PDF that Barr’s staff produced, which is not Section 508 compliant to ensure accessibility—as required of all DOJ electronic communications—likely because the document relies on “images of redacted pages” rather than on electronic redactions using the format’s capabilities. Could the Justice Department have wanted to be totally sure its redactions weren’t reversible?)
Bottom line: It turns out that even when a book is free to everyone, you can still make money selling it. Over the weekend, Comedy Central released a video in which Bill and Hillary Clinton join comedian Jordan Klepper, ostensibly to examine various crowdfunding opportunities. One crowdfunding request reads, “I’m raising money to hire Hillary Clinton to record an audiobook of the Mueller report.” The former secretary of state obliges by reading from the report the account of the moment when Donald Trump learns that Mueller was appointed: “This is the end of my presidency,” she reads in a dark voice. “I’m f—ed.” The marketing potential is almost audible.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
