HRC Book Negative Press Roundup

HILLARY CLINTON’S MEMOIR HAD DISAPPOINTING SALES… HEADLINE: “7 Books With Better Sales Rankings Than Hillary Clinton’s ‘Hard Choices’” [The Federalist, 7/3/14] Secretary Clinton’s Declining Book Sales Helped Earn Her Washington Post’s “Worst Week In Washington.” [Washington Post, 6/3/14] Secretary Clinton’s Memoir Sales Dropped Precipitously, Reaching Only 26,000 In Its Third Week. “Do you own a hard copy of Hillary Clinton's book Hard Choices? If so, you're in exclusive company. According to data provided to the Post by Nielsen BookScan, a little over 26,000 more copies of the book were sold in its third week -- down almost 46 percent from the week prior, which was down 44 percent from the week before that.” [Washington Post, 7/2/14] Washington Post: “Three Weeks In, Clinton's Sales Trail Gates' By 58,000 Copies.” [Washington Post, 7/2/14] HEADLINE: “A Provocateur’s Book on Hillary Clinton Overtakes Her Memoir in Sales.” [New York Times, 7/10/14] New York Times: “‘Hard Choices,’ Has Just Been Toppled From Its Spot On The Best-Seller List By A Sensational Clinton Account By Her Longtime Antagonist Edward Klein.” “Of all the headaches of her current book tour — the declining sales, the constant travel, the interviews that generated unkind headlines about her family’s wealth — this one may sting Hillary Rodham Clinton the most: Her memoir, ‘Hard Choices,’ has just been toppled from its spot on the best-seller list by a sensational Clinton account by her longtime antagonist Edward Klein.” [New York Times, 7/10/14] Weekly Standard: “A Veteran Publishing Source Calls The Latest Hillary Clinton Book…A ‘Bomb.’” “In an email this evening, a veteran publishing source calls the latest Hillary Clinton book, Hard Choices, a memoir of her State Department years, a ‘bomb.’ The source is referring to the early but underwhelming sales figures. ‘Between us, they are nervous at S&S [Simon & Schuster],’ says the source, who gave permission for his email to be published. ‘Sales were well below expectations and the media was a disaster.’” [Weekly Standard, 6/16/14] Politico: “Some Reports Have Indicated Weak Sales [For Hard Choices], Especially When Compared With ‘Living History,’ Clinton’s First Memoir.” “Some reports have indicated weak sales, especially when compared with ‘Living History,’ Clinton’s first memoir, in which she discussed, among other things, the scandals she dealt with while her husband was president. Those reports have suggested the book has fallen far short of expectations and has sold poorly when considering the $14 million advance.” [Politico, 6/17/14] HEADLINE: “No One Is Reading ‘Hard Choices,’ Either.” [Washington Post, 7/7/14] Washington Post: In A Measure Of The Most-Highlighted Passages On Kindle, “The Deepest Into Hard Choices The Popular Highlights Get Is Page 33.” “Every time people highlight something in a book on their Kindles, Amazon records that data. Ellenberg takes the top five highlights listed at the site for any given book and correlates them to a page number…Well, there you have it. The deepest into Hard Choices the popular highlights get is page 33, a quote about smart power. Three of the five most-popular highlights occur within the first 10 pages. We will note the same caveat that Ellenberg applies to Piketty. ‘Hard Choices’ is fairly new, and fairly long. Still, though, one would think more people had made it past page 33.” [Washington Post, 7/7/14] HEADLINE: “‘Hard Choices’ Is A Good Example Of Why Publishers Don’t Disclose Advances” [Washington Post, 6/26/14]

Slate: “[Ben] Carson Has Pushed Past Hillary Clinton And Become The Author Of The Year's Second-Best-Selling Nonfiction Book” In 2014. “According to Nielsen BookScan, Carson has pushed past Hillary Clinton and become the author of the year's second-best-selling nonfiction book. Carson's One Nation has sold 224,990 copies, a massive success for his publisher, Random House. (The book came out under the conservative Sentinel imprint.) Clinton's Hard Choices has sold 222,822 copies.” [Slate, 8/13/14] …AS DID THE PEOPLE MAGAZINE ISSUE THAT PUT SECRETARY CLINTON ON THE COVER Washington Post: People Magazine’s Hillary Clinton Cover Issue Was “The Magazine’s Worst Selling Of 2014.” “In June, Hillary Rodham Clinton appeared on the cover of People magazine for the first time in more than a decade. Real people, not the magazine, talked about what the article might mean for 2016…What they didn't do was buy the magazine. According to a report from AdWeek on Monday, the June 16 issue of People featuring the former first lady and senator was the magazine's worst selling of 2014 with 503,890 copies sold.” [Washington Post, 12/16/14] …AS WELL AS A ROCKY PRESS ROLLOUT… Weekly Standard: “The Rollout Of Hillary Clinton’s New Memoirs, Hard Choices, Was Not A Resounding Success.” “The rollout of Hillary Clinton’s new memoirs, Hard Choices, was not a resounding success for the former secretary of state. She stuck her foot in her mouth regarding her family’s vast fortune. She had trouble answering questions about her evolution on gay marriage.” [Weekly Standard, 8/18/14] Washington Post: On Her Book Tour, “Clinton Stumbled Out Of The Gate By Saying In A Television Interview That She And Her Husband Were ‘Dead Broke’ When They Departed The White House In 2001.” “Hillary Rodham Clinton was a popular first lady, a respected senator and an admired secretary of state. But the first 24 hours of her campaign-like book tour this week served as a reminder that Candidate Clinton has never been as sharp and polished as many of her boosters might hope. Clinton stumbled out of the gate by saying in a television interview that she and her husband were ‘dead broke’ when they departed the White House in 2001 and had ‘struggled’ to pay mortgages on their two multimillion-dollar houses. The gaffe came in defense of her $200,000-a-pop speaking fee — which her interviewer, ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer, noted was five times the median family income.” [Washington Post, 6/10/14] MSNBC: “Hillary Clinton’s ‘Hard Choices’ Book Promotion Tour Hit Another Bump In The Road” As Clinton “Became Clearly Agitated When She Was Repeatedly Questioned About Her ‘Evolution’ On Gay Marriage.” Hillary Clinton’s ‘Hard Choices’ book promotion tour hit another bump in the road on Thursday when the former secretary of state became clearly agitated when she was repeatedly questioned about her ‘evolution’ on gay marriage.” [MSNBC, 6/25/14] …AND A SLEW OF REVIEWS THAT CRITICIZED THE BOOK’S LACK OF SUBSTANCE… Politico: “Hillary Clinton’s New Memoir, ‘Hard Choices’ Was Met With Resounding Disappointment From Critics.” “Hillary Clinton’s new memoir, ‘Hard Choices’ was met with resounding disappointment from critics, who wrote the book lacked any news or revelatory insight into the former secretary’s life or career, suggesting Clinton is playing it safe ahead of a much-speculated 2016 bid.” [Politico, 6/10/14] Washington Post’s David Ignatius: “‘Hard Choices’ Begins And Ends In The Empty Voice Of A Campaign Speech.” [David Ignatius, Washington Post, 6/9/14] Washington Post’s David Ignatius On Hard Choices: “There Are Times When The Reader Feels He Is Being ‘Spun’ Rather Than Enlightened.” “This is a careful book, written tactically to burnish friendships and avoid making enemies. Perhaps that’s inevitable for an autobiographer who is

considering running for president, but there are times when the reader feels he is being ‘spun’ rather than enlightened.” [David Ignatius, Washington Post, 6/9/14] Wall Street Journal’s Bret Stephens: “Mrs. Clinton Has Produced A Book That Asks Us To Forget Her Tenure As Secretary Of State. It's Going To Be A Blockbuster.” [Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal, 1/9/14]