Pence Jumps Ahead of Trump With 2-Book Deal

Publishers have been signing administration figures slowly
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 7, 2021 7:00 PM CDT
Pence Jumps Ahead of Trump With 2-Book Deal
Former Vice President Mike Pence greets supporters after arriving back in his hometown of Columbus, Ind., on Jan. 20.   (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

Mike Pence has found work. The former vice president signed a deal Wednesday to write two books for Simon & Schuster, the first of which is due out in 2023, USA Today reports. The publisher said readers can look forward to "the definitive book on one of the most consequential presidencies in American history," starting with the moment Donald Trump chose Pence as his running mate. The other book will be more autobiographical, per Axios. Readers will follow his "journey from a small town in Indiana to Washington," Pence said. He also was elected to Congress and the governorship of Indiana. The books, with a focus on Pence's Christian faith, could help keep him in public view in the runup to the 2024 presidential election. The deal pays $3 million to $4 million, per CNN.

Kellyanne Conway, former White House counselor, is writing a book, per the Daily Mail. Otherwise, per CNN, publishers are slow in signing Trump administration authors. Some are concerned that the books could spark a backlash or that truthfulness would be an issue. Publishers are most wary of publishing the former president, partly because the cost would be high: a large advance and laborious process. They said Trump might have to go the self-published route. "It's not that the book wouldn't sell, it's that he is impossible to fact-check or do business with," one person in the industry said. Publishers also are worried that employees would quit if they signed Trump. But Trump still might be able to find a publisher. "There is a lot of money to be made, and that is an aphrodisiac," one publishing insider said. (More Mike Pence stories.)

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