When politicians write a book (and the word “write” is doing heavy lifting because they use ghostwriters), they’re generally not really trying to sell books; they’re looking for an excuse to be booked on news shows and do a bunch of campaign events disguised as a book tour, and within a few months you’ll find copies at Dollar Tree, or the bargain bin at Barnes & Noble if they’re lucky.
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom is no exception; he used his newest book, a memoir entitled “Young Man in a Hurry,” as an excuse to go on a pre-presidential campaign tour. When the book debuted at number 5 on USA Today’s Best Selling Booklist, Newsom issued a statement thanking his readers:
“I’m humbled and grateful to everyone who picked up the book and engaged with this deeply personal story of discovery, grief, growth and pain. This book reflects on the people and moments that shaped my life — from family and failure to public service — and the lesson that our journeys are rarely linear.”
At that time, NBC Palm Springs reported:
“State officials say more than 91,000 copies were sold through organic, non-bulk purchases across both in-person and online retailers nationwide. The book quickly climbed bestseller lists within hours of its release as readers showed strong interest in Newsom’s personal story and political journey.”
Well, that wasn’t the full story, as anyone who’s followed Newsom’s career could predict. Between November and January, Newsom made pleas on social media for followers to contribute “any amount” to his Campaign for Democracy PAC in exchange for a copy of the book when it was released.
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“I have a book coming out in a few weeks. It’s called ‘Young Man in a Hurry.’ It’s a good book. Very personal. Not your normal political book at all.
. . .
“At the same time, we just spent a bunch of money on passing Prop 50, so now I need to refill that coffers at my Campaign for Democracy for the fights ahead — including helping other states pass redistricting to stop Trump from rigging the next election.
“So here’s the part that may be a little crazy.
“If you make a contribution of ANY AMOUNT, I’ll send you a copy of my new book when it comes out. The average cost per book is $22.45 including shipping. If you can give that, great. If you can only give $5, great. If you want to cover the cost for a few folks who can only give a few bucks, great.”
According to Federal Elections Commission (FEC) reports analyzed by the New York Times, the PAC “spent $1,561,875 to buy and distribute copies of his book through the donation program.”
They sold 67,000 books through the program, “roughly two-thirds of the 97,400 the print copies of the memoir that have been sold,” according to the New York Post.
Oof.
So, if 91,000 books had been sold as of March 4, and at this time that total has only climbed by 6,400 books, that’s not a great look for Newsom.
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I can’t believe that the tongue bath Jacob Soboroff gave Newsom when promo’ing this book didn’t sell books 🫠 https://t.co/SVTSG4fPj1 pic.twitter.com/OKUZQFOvgl
— Jennifer Van Laar (@jenvanlaar) April 16, 2026
Nathan Click, spox for Newsom’s PAC, claims that they netted more money from contributors who took advantage of the offer than the cost of the books and shipping. He added the predictable spin:
“We were thrilled with the response. Our goal was to deepen the relationship between him and the millions of folks who have already expressed support for Governor Newsom’s work. And as it turns out, the tactic more than paid for itself.”
Sure, Jan.
Editor’s Note: Help us continue to report the truth about corrupt politicians like Gavin Newsom.
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