The Republican National Committee spent nearly $100,000 on copies of Donald Trump Jr.'s book (NYT)

[dalton99a]

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/21/books/donald-trump-jr-triggered-sales.html

R.N.C. Spent Nearly $100,000 on Copies of Donald Trump Jr.’s Book
“Triggered,” published Nov. 5, topped the best-seller list thanks in part to a big order from the Republican National Committee.
By Alexandra Alter and Nicholas Confessore
Nov. 21, 2019, 8:06 p.m. ET

When Donald Trump Jr.’s new book “Triggered” appeared at the top of the New York Times best-seller list this month, a debate erupted over how and why it had claimed the No. 1 spot.

The book, a broad attack on his critics, Democrats and the news media, was published on Nov. 5. The following week, it topped the list. But some skeptics noted that Mr. Trump had gotten a boost from his father’s Twitter feed and from the Republican National Committee, which emailed supporters the day the book came out, asking them to purchase signed copies and touting it as the book the “left doesn’t want you to read.”

Others noted a tiny dagger symbol that appeared next to the title on the list, indicating that bulk purchases of the book had boosted its ranking. (Of the 10 nonfiction hardcover titles currently on the Times’s best-seller list, “Triggered” is the only one featuring that symbol.) Some of Mr. Trump’s supporters pushed back on social media and anonymously to Fox News, saying that even without bulk sales, “Triggered” would still top the list.

“We haven’t made a large bulk purchase, but are ordering copies to keep up with demand,” Mike Reed, an R.N.C. spokesman, said two days after the fund-raising email promoting “Triggered” was sent. “Each book is sold to an individual who supports the Republican Party.”

But a financial disclosure form filed to the Federal Election Commission showed that the R.N.C. paid $94,800 to the bookseller chain Books-A-Million on Oct. 29, a week before the book went on sale. Disclosures filed by the R.N.C. indicate that the payment was for “donor mementos.”

When asked about the disclosure on Thursday, Mr. Reed confirmed that the money went toward “Triggered” orders, and added that the party committee made additional purchases in November. “The book has been hugely popular,” he said.

Asked about the discrepancy, since the committee previously said it was only ordering copies as supporters requested them, Mr. Reed said via email: “We stand by our statement.”

It is difficult to know for sure how many copies of Mr. Trump’s book were sold through bulk orders, whether to the R.N.C. or other groups. The Times does not disclose the methodology behind its best-seller lists, and the dagger symbol only indicates that at least some bookstores reported bulk sales.

According to NPD BookScan, which tracks print book sales, “Triggered” has sold more than 115,000 copies as of Nov. 16. Patsy S. Jones, the vice president of marketing for Hachette Book Group Nashville, which published “Triggered” through its imprint Center Street, said that the publisher hasn’t sold in bulk to the R.N.C. and that the company isn’t aware of any third-party purchases.

While it’s not uncommon for books to be sold for fund-raising purposes by Republican and Democratic committees, the R.N.C.’s “Triggered” purchase is unusual in that the committee is promoting a book written by a candidate’s son who isn’t a politician and isn’t running for office.

[SunSeeker]

1. K & R for exposure.

[DENVERPOPS]

8. Maybe

Maybe Melanoma helped him write it......If so, check for plagiarism........

[Frustratedlady]

2. I read in the last couple weeks or so that the RNC had bought 70,000 books.

That's a hell of a racket. Write a book and sell it to the RNC. Kind of setting a charity fund and drawing from it for your own use.

When does Ivanka's book come out? I'd question whether or not Erik could write.

[dalton99a]

3. Penguin Random House lost $200,000 on her last book

She'll ask for a big handout from the RNC next time. Daddy will demand it

[Frustratedlady]

4. WHEN will people learn not to deal with any of them? Sheesh!

[DENVERPOPS]

6. A good way to "launder" money to someone.......

Much like Trump's father buying millions of poker chips at Trump's failing casino, and then never cashing them in.......

Grifters Gotta Grift.........

[brewens]

5. It makes no difference if we don't want people to read it. How many of those copies will

even be read by right-wingers? Not many. They wouldn't have to buy those if anyone was going to be interested.

[smirkymonkey]

7. Is there any data on where that book would rank without the bulk sales?

I doubt very much that it would even be in the top ten.

[MFGsunny]

9. About as shocked as gambling in Casablanca. Grifters grift with the help of Grifting Inc even! n/t