Whatever criticism author Jerome Corsi endures for The Obama Nation, his new book slamming the presumptive Democratic nominee (and he’s getting plenty so far), it’ll probably be worth it, financially. After all, during the last presidential election cycle, Corsi apparently made more than a million dollars as co-author of Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry, according to his book contract, obtained by the Center for Public Integrity.
Unlike some election-season authors — like Corsi’s Unfit for Command co-author, John O’Neill, a lawyer who donated his profits from the book to charity — Corsi writes for a living. He’s a senior staff reporter for World Net Daily, an online news site with an evangelical bent, and has published a half-dozen conservative titles. Rather than giving up his Swift Boat income, Corsi actually sued the book publisher’s parent company, Eagle Publishing, for a greater share of the royalties. (The case was dismissed.) And we’re guessing he’s probably just as eager to cash in on his latest offering.
The publisher of The Obama Nation has printed 475,000 copies, according to The New York Times. With a list price of $28 and a place on The New York Times best-seller list already secured, the book is poised to be quite the success.
The swift boat book contract paid the industry standard, an advance and royalties on each book sold at a rate of 10 percent of the list price on the first 5,000 copies, 12.5 percent on the second 5,000 copies, and 15 percent thereafter. Given the success of that book — which sold 950,000 copies, yielding — conservatively — $1 million for each of the co-authors — there’s no reason to think Corsi would receive any less this time. And this time around, he won’t have to split the profits.
With a windfall like that, it’s not so surprising he’s put together another scorcher for this election.