Bob Woodward's Book Sold Almost as Many Copies in 1 Week as Donald Trump's 'Art of the Deal' Has in 30 Years

Reporter Bob Woodward's book Fear reportedly sold almost as many copies in its first week of release as President Donald Trump's The Art of the Deal has in the more than 30 years since the famed business book hit the shelves.

Fear publisher Simon & Schuster told CNN Tuesday it had sold more than 1.1 million copies since its release a week ago, which made it the fastest seller in the company's history. The publisher also said it was ordering a 10th printing of the book, pushing the initial sales up to over 1.2 million.

The publisher says "these first week sales for 'Fear' were the largest for any title in Simon & Schuster company history. The publisher has ordered a 10th printing of the book that when complete will bring the number of hardcover copies in print to more than 1,200,000."

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) September 18, 2018

Trump's Art of the Deal, which was first published in 1987, was indeed a best-seller and proved to be a hit. But an unnamed source told CBS News for a report in August 2016 that the president's book had sold 1.1 million copies total.

Since claiming the presidency, Trump has likely sold more books but Woodward's damning exposé of the Republican's time in office had clearly lapped The Art of the Deal's total sales.

Trump has long touted his book and its success, claiming in July 2015 that it was the best-selling business book of all time. However, the business category is particularly broad, and since 2001, only 177,000 copies have been sold, according to a PolitiFact breakdown in July 2015.

Woodward's book flew off shelves even as Trump bashed the book as "fiction" and "made up."

In Fear, the famed Washington Post journalist depicted an administration not only in chaos but ripe with aides who intentionally kept information or documents from Trump in order to prevent him from potentially damaging actions.

Several of Trump's top aides and advisers, like former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, former chief economic adviser Gary Cohn, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and chief of staff John Kelly, are quoted questioning the president's intelligence and fitness for office. Tillerson, according to Woodward, called Trump a "moron" while Kelly described his position as the "worst job" he's ever held and Trump as "unhinged."

Woodward also described Trump's interactions with former attorney John Dowd, who reportedly said he was worried the president would lie to the special counsel investigating Russia's meddling in the 2016 election.

Dowd, as well as Kelly, Mattis and Cohn, have each denied the quotes attributed to them and the White House has slammed the book as highly inaccurate.

Woodward's book followed similarly salacious accounts by former White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman, who had said Trump's mental state had deteriorated, and by reporter Michael Wolff in Fire and Fury earlier this year.

woodward outsold trump art deal week years
The newly released book “Fear” by Bob Woodward is displayed at Book Passage, in Corte Madera, California, on September 11. “Fear” reportedly sold almost as many copies in its first week of release as President... Getty Images/Justin Sullivan

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