The Obamas’ $60m book deal has broken all records . From James Patterson to JK Rowling and Pope John Paul II, here are some of their closest rivals

1. Seventeen books by James Patterson ($100-150m)



When? 2009

Why? It was a bargain. Patterson sells, on average, 20m books a year; in two years alone, it is estimated he earned $500m (£405m) for his publisher, Hachette, so this mind boggling deal for 11 adult books and six aimed at children over three years was a steal. But once known for bashing out serviceable thrillers, Patterson is now probably more famous for managing a kind of Victorian publishing factory, presiding over an empire of keen, younger writers who are willing to write books that Patterson can pop his name on. Cynical, perhaps, but it works.

2. Three books by Ken Follett ($50m)

When? 2008

Why? Penguin paid the hugely popular Follett $16.5m per book in his Century trilogy. It wasn’t out of the blue: by that point, Follett was the author of four bestselling historical novels, all of which reeked of being potential Hollywood fodder. The first in the trilogy, Fall of Giants, sold 2m copies in 10 weeks, thus providing many households with a 1,000-page book that could also serve as a paperweight or deterrent for house intruders. So good value for all?

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3. Crossing the Threshold of Hope by Pope John Paul II ($8.5m)

When? 1994

Why? Knopf’s investment, worth around $21m today, paid off: the Pope’s gentle theological musings were translated into 40 languages and sold more than 1m copies in Italy alone. The better question is: what on this blessed earth was His Holiness going to spend that kind of cash on? More hats, perhaps.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Bill Clinton’s My Life, piled high in a Barnes and Noble in 2004. Photograph: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

4. My Life by Bill Clinton ($15m, $19m today)

When? 2004

Why? One particular – ahem – encounter comes to mind as the value to publisher Knopf. But if you wanted those illicit details (“immoral and foolish” is all he has to say), you had to sift through more than 1,000 pages documenting the US president’s childhood in Arkansas and time in office. George W Bush once joked that it was “10,000 pages long”. But he was probably just mad that he only got $7m for his memoir, Decision Points.

5. Hard Choices by Hillary Clinton ($14m)

When: 2014

Why? Publishers were perhaps hoping for blistering gossip about what it was like to lose to Obama in the 2008 Democratic nominations. Instead, Clinton’s second memoir was dismissed as a 600-page advert for a 2016 Clinton presidency. Whether it was worth the advance became a hot debate – sales had dropped 43% by the second week – and it is believed that Simon & Schuster did not make back the advance.

6. Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen ($10m)

When? 2016

Why? Well, he is the Boss. Thought to be the biggest advance for a musician’s memoir, Born to Run was a lucrative deal for Simon & Schuster, with Springsteen revealing himself to be a candid autobiographer, writing freely about his difficult relationship with his father and his battle with depression. Yes, there were lines like: “My depression was spewing like an oil spill over the beautiful turquoise green gulf of my carefully planned existence.” But he is the Boss.

7. The Downing Street Years and The Path to Power by Margaret Thatcher, £3.5m for two books (£9.2m today or $11.3m)

When: 1993 and 1995

Why? Rupert Murdoch was reportedly on Thatcher’s back before she left office, encouraging the Iron Lady to write a memoir. Her son Mark took it upon himself to help secure a deal, predicting that he would get £8-20m. Rupert Murdoch, who wanted his ideological ally to publish with his company HarperCollins, poured cold water on the ambition: “Good luck to him if he can but I don’t think he will,” he crowed. As predicted, Thatcher sold the books to HarperCollins for much less.

8. The Girl With the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer ($9m)

When? 2015

Why? It might be a bigger figure than one would expect, but as many may have anticipated, it did start with a chapter called An Open Letter to My Vagina. Critics praised the comedian’s collection of essays for the moments less focused on delivering zingers, where she left room for serious topics like her father’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis, her thoughts on gun control and sexual consent. It made the New York Times bestseller list, but it isn’t clear if Simon & Schuster made its money back.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest JK Rowling at a launch for her first novel for adults, The Casual Vacancy in 2012. Photograph: Ian West/PA

9. The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling (somewhere between £2m and $8 million)

When? 2012

Why? Both figures have been quoted extensively, but one thing is sure: gone are the days of Rowling getting £2,000 to write a Harry Potter book (her laughable advance for the first two). Being her first post-Harry novel and scandalously aimed at adults rather than children, it was a mixed success with critics. “It has the C-word in it!” bleated countless tabloids. As if Little, Brown cared – was there ever a risk of it not making its money back?

10. Life by Keith Richards ($7.3m, $8.8m today)

When? 2010

Why? Name your reason. Vicarious thrills? Its casual catalogue of everything a human being can snort or stab into their bodies? The details about Mick Jagger’s “tiny todger”? Somewhat unexpectedly, Life – which was written “with” journalist James Fox – was resoundingly praised for its literary quality. It sold more than 1m copies.