For a memoir from a First Lady, Michelle Obama’s Becoming is in a league of its own.

Andrew AlbaneseAs December arrives, US booksellers are already enjoying plenty of holiday cheer owing to the success of Michelle Obama’s memoir, Becoming.

“Michelle Obama’s memoir sold over 1.4 million copies in its first week—which is an incredible number for any book, but for a memoir from a First Lady, it is truly in a league of its own,” reports Andrew AlbanesePublishers Weekly senior writer.

“My colleagues surveyed indie stores around the country who all report the book is flying off shelves. One clever bookseller, who asked to remain anonymous—wisely, probably— even resorted to restocking from Costco,” he tells CCC’s Chris Kenneally. 

The Obamas 2017 book deal with Penguin Random House earned the former First Couple a reported $65 million.

Other big books of the 2018 holiday season include Jeff Kinney’s The Meldown: Diary of a Wimpy Kid #13, and J.K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Albanese notes.

Every Friday, CCC’s “Beyond the Book” speaks with the editors and reporters of “Publishers Weekly” for an early look at the news that publishers, editors, authors, agents and librarians will be talking about when they return to work on Monday.

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