New York: Allies of former President Donald Trump are trying to rip up the traditional book publishing paradigm in politics by setting up a publishing house of their own.
Trump announced last week that he was publishing a coffee table book of photographs from his time in the White House — just ahead of the holiday gift rush — with Winning Team Publishing. The outfit is a new imprint with a decidedly MAGA flavor, run by former Trump campaign aide Sergio Gor and Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr, reports Politico.
The book, titled “Our Journey Together,” was marketed at $74.99, and $229.99 for a signed copy. Nonetheless, Gor claimed they already have exceeded sales of 70,000 copies in the first week of the preorder.Trump has not yet written a post-presidential memoir. And part of the reason maybe that that some of the major publishing houses have recoiled at the prospect of having to fact-check his work or the social backlash that would ensue.
With allies setting up their own publishing house, the president could potentially circumvent those hurdles. It allows Trump confidants to run everything from publishing to marketing in house, while keeping data on purchases. But it also has left the impression in the industry that the former president has given up on trying to score a deal with one of the big publishing houses.
The foray of Trump Jr. and Gor into the publishing world follows the recent announcement about Trump’s own coming media venture: Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG). TMTG has not launched a single product but is reportedly valued for billions, according to Forbes. A publishing company launched exclusively for Trump and pro-Trump content could be similarly lucrative, according to publishing industry experts.
