Nov 30, 2018

Michelle Obama's "Becoming" is 2018's best-selling book

Michelle Obama and Valerie Jarett at the Capital One Arena. Photo: Paul Morigi/Getty Images

Michelle Obama's memoir, which was released on Nov. 13, is already the best-selling book of 2018, based on NPD BookScan data, her publisher Penguin Random House announced this morning.

Details: The hardcover edition of "Becoming" has sold more copies than any other book in the U.S. this year, according to Penguin Random House, and is still at #1 on two New York Times best-seller lists after two weeks. It's also topping the USA Today and Publishers Weekly best-seller lists and is the #1 adult nonfiction book around the world, including in Germany, Spain, Greece, Finland, and more.

By the numbers:

  • Across all formats, the book has sold more than 2 million copies in the U.S. and Canada.
  • It currently has 3.4 million hardcover copies in print.

The context, via the AP: "Hillary Rodham Clinton's memoir 'Living History' needed a month to sell 1 million copies. Former President George W. Bush's 'Decision Points' took several weeks to reach 2 million. Former President Bill Clinton's 'My Life' quickly sold 1 million copies but took far longer to hit 2 million."

What's next: Obama is on tour, with upcoming stops scheduled in in Brooklyn, Detroit, Denver, San Jose, and Dallas, according to her publisher. She will be in London on Monday, Paris on Wednesday, and Berlin on Thursday.

Go deeper: The most compelling excerpts from Michelle Obama's new memoir

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