Andrew Cuomo, Governor of New York, and an American politician from the Democratic Party, got $738,000 for his memoir.
The book is titled, All Things Possible: Setbacks and Success in Politics and Life and was published by the HarperCollins imprint Harper in October 2014. The publisher ordered a print run of 200,000 copies. It has been two and a half years since it was published and it’s only sold 3,200 copies.
The figure was deduced from his tax filings in 2013, 2014, and 2016 related to the book. A spokesperson for HarperCollins declined to comment on Cuomo's book deal to the Buffalo News.
HarperCollins has decided not to issue the book in paperback after such failure in sales, according to the Wall Street Journal. The hardcover’s retail price is $29.99 but even Amazon is selling new copies as at a discounted rate.
If calculated, that would mean he’s earned $245 for each book. His spokesman, Richard Azzopardi, said that “this payment was contractual and per the agreement with the publisher.”
The lack of sales could be due to lack of promotion by the author. Claire Wachtel, his editor, said the publisher was blindsided by Cuomo's decision not to plug the book on television. His aides “did not warn us that he wouldn’t promote the book if it came out before the (2014 gubernatorial) election,” added Wachtel.