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Joe BidenCongratulations to our presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden!
 

OldRed2450

(710 posts)
Sat Dec 21, 2019, 05:54 PM Dec 2019

Bernie Sander's campaign bought his own books to inflate sales.

Bernie’s own book of the month club

Bernie Sanders has become a millionaire, and he did it by selling his new book! In blunt fashion Sanders explained his get rich strategy: “I wrote a best-selling book. If you write a best-selling book, you can be a millionaire, too.” NYTimes.com

During the 2015 primary campaign the pre-millionaire Bernie employed a book buying/selling strategy that never would have gotten him rich but might be worth a glance now as the crowded Democratic primary race heats up.

According to FEC filings, the Sanders campaign bought thousands of dollars of his books. Sanders spent almost $445,000 of his donors’ campaign funds with Verso Books, the publisher of Outsider in the White House, which was a quick re-working of his earlier Bernie book: Outsider in the House. I mentioned the purchase in a diary: Campaign dollars to donuts back then without really taking aim at it; I don’t recall it making any waves in that long campaign.

https://www.greenmountaindaily.com/2019/04/25/bernies-own-book-of-the-month-lub/

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
63 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Bernie Sander's campaign bought his own books to inflate sales. (Original Post) OldRed2450 Dec 2019 OP
But Full Transparency...Right? Me. Dec 2019 #1
Old news. This was brought up in the last campaign. vsrazdem Dec 2019 #2
No it wasn't OldRed2450 Dec 2019 #4
A candidate can't get royalties from their campaign purchases. Hassin Bin Sober Dec 2019 #8
What is the result of inflated sales? OldRed2450 Dec 2019 #9
Ask Don Jr. nt sheshe2 Dec 2019 #12
How does that negate the facts? And why such quick and drastic jump to judgement? beastie boy Dec 2019 #11
Let's be clear. He didn't become a millionaire from his campaign giving away books. Hassin Bin Sober Dec 2019 #19
They get royalties from their publisher for books their campaign purchases..... George II Dec 2019 #20
. Hassin Bin Sober Dec 2019 #21
And? He didn't get royalties from his campaign purchasing his own books? Please look up "in kind". George II Dec 2019 #22
I'm an author and also worked on a bestseller list. You don't get royalties from your own purchases. torius Dec 2019 #28
"He" didn't buy his own books, he got a bookseller to buy them and then his campaign... George II Dec 2019 #30
The article says he bought them from Verso, the publisher. torius Dec 2019 #36
There was a round of speaking engagements toward the end of last year and prior to formal.... George II Dec 2019 #48
Yes bought in bulk/wholesale torius Dec 2019 #56
As an author who probably deals with publishers, Hav Dec 2019 #33
No, they do not create revenue for the publisher torius Dec 2019 #37
No one said it's wrong to buy/sell books Hav Dec 2019 #44
"No one said" Hassin Bin Sober Dec 2019 #45
No they did not. sheshe2 Dec 2019 #55
Who knows which book sales he was referring to? torius Dec 2019 #58
The publisher doesn't profit (or not much) from the bulk sales. torius Dec 2019 #57
Thanks for that explanation. progressoid Dec 2019 #42
sure! torius Dec 2019 #59
Saved by the asterisk! TexasTowelie Dec 2019 #43
Yes torius Dec 2019 #60
He didn't "write" his first big seller until August 2016, when Hillary Clinton was out on the trail. George II Dec 2019 #5
Hmmm.. I thought the books were sold Cha Dec 2019 #3
It gets you to the top of the best seller list. sheshe2 Dec 2019 #13
But not in a fair way.. Cha Dec 2019 #15
Correct, Cha. sheshe2 Dec 2019 #16
Ewww! That just feels and sounds icky. n/t Tarheel_Dem Dec 2019 #40
I know. sheshe2 Dec 2019 #46
We always suspected this NYMinute Dec 2019 #6
Buying one's own books is common throughout the book-selling business. No Vested Interest Dec 2019 #7
Yes, I've heard this for years Raine Dec 2019 #39
Oh, just say buying your own books is "grassroots" and it'll be fine. betsuni Dec 2019 #10
Zing. Yes.. how grassrootsy of him. Cha Dec 2019 #14
It's best seller-"ish" grantcart Dec 2019 #23
lol.. exactly! Cha Dec 2019 #24
If you are going to do this, please accept contributions from billionaires... W_HAMILTON Dec 2019 #17
Agree. This makes me very sad: betsuni Dec 2019 #25
For the win! sheshe2 Dec 2019 #31
Thanks! Here's Bernie giving himself the benefit of the doubt: betsuni Dec 2019 #32
Oh my... sheshe2 Dec 2019 #34
This is the best the anti BS people can come up with? Joe941 Dec 2019 #18
There is so much to choose from it would take hundreds of hours to rank them grantcart Dec 2019 #26
Just shows how hard they are reaching. Joe941 Dec 2019 #27
I am glad they included it. Just one of the character reveling episodes grantcart Dec 2019 #29
Not even close to "the best". Lexee Dec 2019 #35
I figured they all do that.. Raine Dec 2019 #38
The article only mentions Republicans who've done it. betsuni Dec 2019 #41
Am I correct that Bernie has a huge list of donors who have pledged monthly donations No Vested Interest Dec 2019 #47
Amy Klobuchar is selling her book at her campaign website. Eric J in MN Dec 2019 #49
No, that's not the same. W_HAMILTON Dec 2019 #52
I'd read that's how "Dianetics" made it to the NYT Bestseller's list. NurseJackie Dec 2019 #50
Kick! TexasTowelie Dec 2019 #51
Laid-off steelworkers in Detroit don't give a flying fuck... SMC22307 Dec 2019 #53
Sanders buying his own book ? Are you saying he used his personal OnDoutside Dec 2019 #61
I have NO idea and I don't care. SMC22307 Dec 2019 #62
I wish you folks would go tilt at other James48 Dec 2019 #54
KICK! Cha Dec 2019 #63
 

Me.

(35,454 posts)
1. But Full Transparency...Right?
Sat Dec 21, 2019, 06:07 PM
Dec 2019
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

vsrazdem

(2,176 posts)
2. Old news. This was brought up in the last campaign.
Sat Dec 21, 2019, 06:07 PM
Dec 2019
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

OldRed2450

(710 posts)
4. No it wasn't
Sat Dec 21, 2019, 06:11 PM
Dec 2019

You're trying to use the " fighting the last primary" in bad faith. Bernie is a millionaire from selling books his own campaign bought.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

Hassin Bin Sober

(26,272 posts)
8. A candidate can't get royalties from their campaign purchases.
Sat Dec 21, 2019, 06:55 PM
Dec 2019

You can give it a rest now.

A good duer would self delete false statements like that.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

OldRed2450

(710 posts)
9. What is the result of inflated sales?
Sat Dec 21, 2019, 07:00 PM
Dec 2019
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

beastie boy

(9,060 posts)
11. How does that negate the facts? And why such quick and drastic jump to judgement?
Sat Dec 21, 2019, 07:15 PM
Dec 2019

Are royalties the only thing that matters in book sales? Sales volume and bragging rights that come with it is something that money can't buy (or apparently it can) in promoting one's book, regardless of royalties.

A good duer would apologize for using fallacy to call for blood.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

Hassin Bin Sober

(26,272 posts)
19. Let's be clear. He didn't become a millionaire from his campaign giving away books.
Sat Dec 21, 2019, 11:13 PM
Dec 2019

Anyone who says that is either misinformed or a liar.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

George II

(67,782 posts)
20. They get royalties from their publisher for books their campaign purchases.....
Sat Dec 21, 2019, 11:13 PM
Dec 2019

Your advice to a "good DUer"? Um, that's not bad advice, I suggest you take it.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

Hassin Bin Sober

(26,272 posts)
21. .
Sat Dec 21, 2019, 11:30 PM
Dec 2019
AO 2014-10: Commission approves use of campaign funds to purchase book August 22, 2014
A principal campaign committee may use campaign funds to purchase copies of the candidate’s book without the purchase resulting in personal use or an in-kind contribution from the publisher.
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

George II

(67,782 posts)
22. And? He didn't get royalties from his campaign purchasing his own books? Please look up "in kind".
Sat Dec 21, 2019, 11:38 PM
Dec 2019
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

torius

(1,652 posts)
28. I'm an author and also worked on a bestseller list. You don't get royalties from your own purchases.
Sun Dec 22, 2019, 12:10 AM
Dec 2019

When you buy books from a publisher, they are in bulk, in a box. You get a discount. No books bought in a bulk (box) by anyone get you royalties. You then can resell them. That's what authors do--they go to book signings, events and such and sell their books. Even if traditionally published. You can keep the profit or use it for fundraising. There's nothing wrong with buying and reselling your own books--it's the norm and the book contract goes over it. You only get a small amount of free copies, to give your friends and family. You pay for the rest.

They go into your sales but a bestseller list would ignore them or put an asterisk as the NYT Times did. I worked for years on a bestseller list for a large publication. They calculated it by averaging sales across a select list of independent bookstores. If a book sold more than a handful it was assumed to be an event such as a book signing and ignored. A book could be a bestseller averaging just a few copies a week. The NYT seems to go more by overall sales, but gives an asterisk when they don't think they are the kind of sales that indicate people are buying it without being pushed. Buying your own book won't get you on a lot of bestseller lists--I can't say what publications use what type--but either way, they don't want to help authors game the system since that's what a lot authors want to do. Hence, Amazon takes down reviews if they think your friends wrote them. The Times puts an asterisk. And my publication ignored any weekly sales per store that was over a few copies. It's to keep it free of manipulation.



If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

George II

(67,782 posts)
30. "He" didn't buy his own books, he got a bookseller to buy them and then his campaign...
Sun Dec 22, 2019, 12:16 AM
Dec 2019

....bought them from the bookseller.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

torius

(1,652 posts)
36. The article says he bought them from Verso, the publisher.
Sun Dec 22, 2019, 02:16 AM
Dec 2019

Anyway, the bookstores and publishers work together. The price I could get my books at for the publisher was the same price as I could pay Barnes and Noble for a box of books. You don't get royalties or any kind of profit from that unless you resell them. A lot of books get returned from bookstores to publishers. (That's why if you have a book in the store, you should sign it so they can't return it!) But you won't get a royalty unless someone walks in and buys it. Do bookstore purchases go into total sales, but I'm not sure, but no bookstore would order a lot of books unless you, the author, is buying them. Stores don't act as book storage. They don't have room. The normal quantity is two books and those get returned if they don't sell. If a book is selling well then they restock. I believe library purchases do count into sales. Authors can ask libraries to buy books.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

George II

(67,782 posts)
48. There was a round of speaking engagements toward the end of last year and prior to formal....
Sun Dec 22, 2019, 10:34 PM
Dec 2019

....entry into the primary. Admission was charged by the promoter and it included one free book. Generally the admission was from about $50 to $100 depending upon the city and venue. A day or two before some of the events tickets were going for as low as $5!

Someone had to buy those books that they handed out for free.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

torius

(1,652 posts)
56. Yes bought in bulk/wholesale
Mon Dec 23, 2019, 02:01 AM
Dec 2019

I don't see the issue. Those do not earn money for the author or the publisher. I am so scratching my head at this whole issue.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

Hav

(5,969 posts)
33. As an author who probably deals with publishers,
Sun Dec 22, 2019, 12:35 AM
Dec 2019

do you still see a potential conflict of interest even without the royalties for these buys? In my view, these actions improve your sales numbers and create revenue for your publisher. Surely that is something that influences your contract for the next book when similar campaign buys are expected.

And for the record, I think it's not unusual to practically resell your books as an incentive or thank you for donations and I'm pretty sure Bernie isn't the first who did it.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

torius

(1,652 posts)
37. No, they do not create revenue for the publisher
Sun Dec 22, 2019, 02:43 AM
Dec 2019

because the bulk price is discounted by 40%. The publisher may be making zero profit or very little, I think none. It costs a lot to publish, distribute, and market a book and pay emplpyees.

Yes his purchases go into overall numbers, but he had buyers, so what is the issue? Is it bad to sell books? Is it bad to buy them? Why write a book and not try to sell it, especially if you have millions of supporters? What's good for publishers is good for all authors and keeps bookstores in business.

because they are sold in bulk at or near cost. Books that don't sell well, like poetry, are "loss leaders" supported by best-sellers. If you don't have best-sellers you don't have the less commercial books either. (The problem is getting publishers to keep on taking risks).

Yes, buying and selling your own books it could lead to more book contracts, the horror! That is exactly what authors do. That's how children's authors and illustrators make a living. We buy cartons of books, this is encouraged by the publisher. Then we go to schools and sell them at a higher price as well as get paid by the school. If we don't do that, we can't keep writing and illustrating, because it doesn't pay well. You go to the readers, and you have to make a living. Some authors do this full-time--anyone have authors come to their kids' schools with boxes of books? They bought them in bulk, not to game the system, but to resell them for a few bucks more, so they can eat. Is it OK for musicians to sell CDs at concerts? It's the same thing. It doesn't matter who paid for the bulk copies, those sales are on a different list--it's a wholesale sale. Sure, a billionaire could buy a ton of their own books but if it's in bulk the publisher is not making money so it doesn't help get another contract. The revenue for the publisher comes from stores and anyone who pays the normal price.

99.9% of books do not "earn out," meaning do not earn back their advance, and the author receives zero royalties. The publisher loses money. The publisher do not get rich if an author buys bulk books and the author receives no royalties, only profit from reselling. Worse yet, if you don't earn out, and then do another book with that same publisher they may withhold your royalties because your other book lost money. So that second book has to earn both its advance and the first book's. You get about a dollar a book.



Books that authors buy that don't sell sit in the author's garage. I don't know, but I doubt, if Bernie (or Ted Cruz, etc., also mentioned in the article) made a profit from the campaign books. I would think it would have to go back to the campaign and that either way the campaign got back what it spent. I doubt Bernie has trouble selling books in stores and I would think the profit he kept comes from that (and he didn't say he made a million selling books alone. You make about a dollar a book in royalties but you first need to earn back your advance which may have been considerable and the bulk sales do not go toward that. Maybe as you said some were giveaways from the campaign so that's an expense, fine. No I do not see anything unusual, bad, or weird. I guess publishing is rather mysterious to most people, but it's a long chain, from printer to warehouse to store to the final sad days when a book goes out of print (some never do). Authors, especially unknown ones, bear the responsibility of a lot of promotion and selling themselves if they want a book to last.

Things that are gaming the system: Offering something in return for a review. Concealing bulk sales, for instance, by paying people to buy the books one by one at a higher price, or by buying a ton of them yourself one by one at the higher price (but who does that? What would you do with them? You would be losing money. Possibly this is what Don Jr. did. or something like it. But the issue there seemed more like he got on the NYT list--however the asterisk will always follow him). You can game the Amazon numbers by getting people to buy at a certain time. But Amazon is bots and things like the Times are human-edited. So no, I think if there is demand for your book, it makes sense to have them at campaign rallies just as a musician sells CDs at concerts. If you're giving away the bulk-bought book then you're not making money nor is the publisher (or very little if any).

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

Hav

(5,969 posts)
44. No one said it's wrong to buy/sell books
Sun Dec 22, 2019, 09:10 AM
Dec 2019

or trying to improve your sales numbers by investing your own money. I don't know why you would choose to address something that no one claimed as bad. The question was about using campaign donations to buy and sell your books and later profit personally from the next book deal because the publisher expects a similar success.
I'm sure it's just part of the game and that they don't profit from the current book. But half a million of donations transferred to your publisher is still a considerable amount. Bernie got a high advance for his next book that didn't sell well.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

Hassin Bin Sober

(26,272 posts)
45. "No one said"
Sun Dec 22, 2019, 10:35 AM
Dec 2019

Yes they did. And they claimed he got rich from his own campaign funds. He didn’t. Anyone who says that is either misinformed or a liar. At this point the subject has been discussed enough that one can conclude which it is.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

sheshe2

(83,341 posts)
55. No they did not.
Mon Dec 23, 2019, 12:54 AM
Dec 2019

Last edited Mon Dec 23, 2019, 10:34 AM - Edit history (1)


Yes they did. And they claimed he got rich from his own campaign funds. He didn’t.


What the article states is:


“I wrote a best-selling book. If you write a best-selling book, you can be a millionaire, too.” NYTimes.com

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

torius

(1,652 posts)
58. Who knows which book sales he was referring to?
Mon Dec 23, 2019, 02:17 AM
Dec 2019

He could well have been referring to the royalty-producing sales from bookstores. I'm sure that the amount of books sold in stores and Amazon is far, FAR greater than those sold by the campaign on campaign stops.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

torius

(1,652 posts)
57. The publisher doesn't profit (or not much) from the bulk sales.
Mon Dec 23, 2019, 02:11 AM
Dec 2019

Last edited Mon Dec 23, 2019, 04:51 AM - Edit history (2)

The publisher pays an advance. In Bernie's case this could be a lot of money. Like hundreds of thousands. So the publisher LOSES that money UNTIL the books are sold, and these bulk books do not go toward repaying the advance. Nor does cash. If the books fail to sell, generally the author keeps the advance, but the publisher is not happy. Again, these bulk sales do not go toward repaying the advance. If they do make some profit (if it's a huge amount of books that lowers production costs), I really don't see what's wrong with that, since the campaign is buying them to sell to actual buyers, it's not some fake, nefarious Trump tower condo purchase kind of thing.

The campaign is spending money on the book, so they would be wasting money if they were doing it only to create sales. They are doing it to raise funds, not "inflate numbers." If some are given away, it's neither here nor there. They paid for the books.

The publisher prints as many as they think will sell. As Bernie has a huge platform there is an audience. The publisher is aware of this and the projected numbers affect how many are printed and his advance. If campaign stops are a good place to sell it then they are. Authors go on book tours with their own books they bought. People don't buy their own books to increase their sales numbers. Actually it hurts them in a way because those books don't go into the books that earn royalties and thus they could end up still owing money on their NEXT book and if they do not earn out there is less chance of getting a next book. They are doing what the publisher expects them to do--sell a certain amount of copies. A famous person with a big platform does not have problems selling books, they carry the books to meet the demand.

YES they do like authors who have a huge platform and audience. But how did Bernie get that? Because he built a fan base. So, he can say to the publisher, I'm gonna sell so many books. They probably worked with him on that and it could even be in the contract. These may be a case of what they call Special Sales. They do like when famous, popular people write books. This is business in a good way, it is not nefarious. Even if they DO profit some from the bulk sales, I don't see why that's bad. Verso is an indie, leftist publisher and their values probably align with the campaign's (that's not a conspiracy). There are few independent publishers left, and supporting them is important.

The help to the author and publisher is not in the BUYING the book so much as is in creating the demand for people to buy it FROM them. And yes, the publisher likes when authors create demand. Similar to movies hiring so-called bankable stars because it sells tickets.


If the campaign says we are gonna buy so many books in bulk, so what? The campaign is taking a risk by buying them. A campaign raises funds, it says thanks with giveaways... it's not enriching Bernie himself.


EDIT: IF HE'S NOT CAMPAIGNING after this, there would be no campaign to buy books, so why would these bulk sales help him in the future? Yes he can sell books on his own, but he wouldn't have the bulk purchases. If he does campaign again, and he writes another book and they again buy them, then the campaign is getting the money. If he isn't a candidate then the publisher would probably just print fewer books.


EDIT: IF HE'S NOT CAMPAIGNING after this, there would be no campaign to buy books, so why would these bulk sales help him in the future? Yes he can sell books on his own, but he wouldn't have the bulk purchases. If he does campaign again, and he had another book and they again buy them, then the campaign is getting the money. If he isn't a candidate then the publisher would probably just print fewer books.

Yes the publisher likes people who have the ability to sell books. Most authors try to build a platform so they can sell their own books. Yes if they sell books it often leads to more books but as I said, the publisher would project sales differently based on what the candidate or ex-candidate is doing to sell them.

Strong book sales lift the industry and help all authors, all potential authors, and all bookstores.

Nowadays you don't even have to bulk-buy--you can just upload to CreateSpace, Blurb, et al. Some publishers no longer even pay advances. And vanity publishers charge you to create the book. If a traditional publisher invests in your book they do hope to sell them and they do projections. Bernie probably could have made more money self-publishing his book.

It would be cheating if you paid or even asked say, 10 people in every city to go and buy your books one week or month, or every week or month, so that you could get on a weekly or monthly bestseller list (one that ignores bulk sales like the one I worked on). If the RNC bought Don Jr.'s book all at once with the intention of getting their asterisk in the weekly NYT list which does count bulk but asterisks them, that is gaming the system.

But that's not what this is. It's not "inflating" sales, it's making actual sales (resales). If some books are given away, I don't see any issue with this. Organizations do that. If they published the book themselves they'd have to buy it, it's not really that different, as the printer would be making money from them buying it. I think the fallacy here is assuming that this enriches Bernie somehow outside the campaign when it's just raising money for the campaign. The publisher is involved, they are not being "tricked" or manipulated. Bulk sales are just that, if one is no longer running then the sales might include some bulk sales from bookstore signings or talks but not a huge campaign, and the rest dependent on libraries and bookstores

Your advance is against royalties so you need to earn actual royalties to pay it back, the money comes from those not the bulk sales. Here is a fairly simple article on how royalties work.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

progressoid

(49,825 posts)
42. Thanks for that explanation.
Sun Dec 22, 2019, 06:58 AM
Dec 2019
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

torius

(1,652 posts)
59. sure!
Mon Dec 23, 2019, 02:18 AM
Dec 2019

I saw the same kind of post about the book sales and the lists over and over and I could not keep it to myself anymore!

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

TexasTowelie

(111,301 posts)
43. Saved by the asterisk!
Sun Dec 22, 2019, 07:26 AM
Dec 2019
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

torius

(1,652 posts)
60. Yes
Mon Dec 23, 2019, 02:20 AM
Dec 2019

and it's not like that can be done every week or every month. Best-seller lists are about a specific unit of time, usually a week or a month, not over time (unlike the Amazon algorithm that takes a lot of things into account).

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

George II

(67,782 posts)
5. He didn't "write" his first big seller until August 2016, when Hillary Clinton was out on the trail.
Sat Dec 21, 2019, 06:26 PM
Dec 2019
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

Cha

(295,912 posts)
3. Hmmm.. I thought the books were sold
Sat Dec 21, 2019, 06:09 PM
Dec 2019

to customers 'cause they wanted to read it. Why would you buy your own books.. you already know what it says.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

Cha

(295,912 posts)
15. But not in a fair way..
Sat Dec 21, 2019, 07:24 PM
Dec 2019

Thanks, she.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

sheshe2

(83,341 posts)
16. Correct, Cha.
Sat Dec 21, 2019, 07:34 PM
Dec 2019
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

Tarheel_Dem

(31,207 posts)
40. Ewww! That just feels and sounds icky. n/t
Sun Dec 22, 2019, 04:51 AM
Dec 2019
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

sheshe2

(83,341 posts)
46. I know.
Sun Dec 22, 2019, 03:49 PM
Dec 2019

Hi Tarheel. 🤗

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

NYMinute

(3,256 posts)
6. We always suspected this
Sat Dec 21, 2019, 06:47 PM
Dec 2019

There really was not much market. They are now being heavily discounted everywhere.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

No Vested Interest

(5,156 posts)
7. Buying one's own books is common throughout the book-selling business.
Sat Dec 21, 2019, 06:52 PM
Dec 2019

That is how many books make the NY Times best-seller list.
I learned this and was initially shocked when I heard that certain unknown writers were "on the NYT best-seller list."
Many are then given or resold cheaply to supporters of the author's causes.
This was done for a writer of a religious-themed book; copies of the book were given gratis to any one that wanted a copy.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

Raine

(30,540 posts)
39. Yes, I've heard this for years
Sun Dec 22, 2019, 04:46 AM
Dec 2019

not exactly scandalous breaking news IMO.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

betsuni

(25,128 posts)
10. Oh, just say buying your own books is "grassroots" and it'll be fine.
Sat Dec 21, 2019, 07:06 PM
Dec 2019
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

Cha

(295,912 posts)
14. Zing. Yes.. how grassrootsy of him.
Sat Dec 21, 2019, 07:22 PM
Dec 2019
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

grantcart

(53,061 posts)
23. It's best seller-"ish"
Sat Dec 21, 2019, 11:49 PM
Dec 2019
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

Cha

(295,912 posts)
24. lol.. exactly!
Sat Dec 21, 2019, 11:50 PM
Dec 2019
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

W_HAMILTON

(7,813 posts)
17. If you are going to do this, please accept contributions from billionaires...
Sat Dec 21, 2019, 08:42 PM
Dec 2019

…and use THEIR money to buy up your own books instead of using the few dollars that some poor person saved up months to give you in the hopes that it would somehow help their plight.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

betsuni

(25,128 posts)
25. Agree. This makes me very sad:
Sat Dec 21, 2019, 11:54 PM
Dec 2019

Bernie Sanders: "Let me give special thanks for the financial support we received from students struggling to repay their college loans, from seniors and disabled vets on Social Security, from workers earning starvation wages and even from people who were unemployed."

Rich people are asked for money all the time. They and corporations support the arts, scholarships, sponsor athletes, non-profits, donate to all sorts of things, sometimes including politics. Turning it into an evil quid pro quo to scare people is .

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

sheshe2

(83,341 posts)
31. For the win!
Sun Dec 22, 2019, 12:22 AM
Dec 2019

You nailed it, betsuni.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

betsuni

(25,128 posts)
32. Thanks! Here's Bernie giving himself the benefit of the doubt:
Sun Dec 22, 2019, 12:29 AM
Dec 2019

"I don't think anyone seriously believes that because I wrote a best-selling book, and it made money ... that I've changed my views, and you'll never hear me saying, 'Gee, maybe we want to give tax breaks to millionaires.' I don't think you've heard me say that."

NOBODY HAS HEARD ANY DEMOCRAT SAY THAT AND YOU NEVER WILL.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

Joe941

(2,848 posts)
18. This is the best the anti BS people can come up with?
Sat Dec 21, 2019, 11:06 PM
Dec 2019

That says quite a bit.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

grantcart

(53,061 posts)
26. There is so much to choose from it would take hundreds of hours to rank them
Sat Dec 21, 2019, 11:58 PM
Dec 2019

Just guessing I would put it in the top 70 - 90 range.
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

Joe941

(2,848 posts)
27. Just shows how hard they are reaching.
Sun Dec 22, 2019, 12:06 AM
Dec 2019
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

grantcart

(53,061 posts)
29. I am glad they included it. Just one of the character reveling episodes
Sun Dec 22, 2019, 12:10 AM
Dec 2019

That confirm a much more significant pattern.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

Lexee

(377 posts)
35. Not even close to "the best".
Sun Dec 22, 2019, 12:50 AM
Dec 2019
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

Raine

(30,540 posts)
38. I figured they all do that..
Sun Dec 22, 2019, 04:42 AM
Dec 2019
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

betsuni

(25,128 posts)
41. The article only mentions Republicans who've done it.
Sun Dec 22, 2019, 05:09 AM
Dec 2019

I know Bernie has sent a copy of his book to anybody who donates even a dollar, but I've never heard of any Democrats who've done that, or given out copies of books at rallies. If anyone knows if they have, please let us know.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

No Vested Interest

(5,156 posts)
47. Am I correct that Bernie has a huge list of donors who have pledged monthly donations
Sun Dec 22, 2019, 04:24 PM
Dec 2019

going back to 2016?
If so, that accounts for his huge war chest.

Many, maybe even most, people would not think to remove themselves from such a list, and likely wouldn't much notice a small deduction from their banking accounts, or think it's worth the time involved. But, if Bernie has thousands of such accounts, the total accumulated from all over many months would add up to a very nice amount.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

Eric J in MN

(35,619 posts)
49. Amy Klobuchar is selling her book at her campaign website.
Sun Dec 22, 2019, 11:59 PM
Dec 2019

That means her campaign bought copies.
https://store.amyklobuchar.com/

Which is fine, and so is Bernie Sanders’ campaign doing that.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

W_HAMILTON

(7,813 posts)
52. No, that's not the same.
Mon Dec 23, 2019, 12:43 AM
Dec 2019

An individual buying a candidate's book from their campaign website is far different than a campaign buying up their candidate's own book with campaign contributions.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

NurseJackie

(42,862 posts)
50. I'd read that's how "Dianetics" made it to the NYT Bestseller's list.
Mon Dec 23, 2019, 12:39 AM
Dec 2019

The "Church of Scientology" would buy them in bulk from vendors who reported their sales to the NYT... and would return them in bulk to the same vendors. Even if there was a "restocking fee" they didn't care because they had achieved their goal of manipulating the NYT rankings.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

SMC22307

(8,088 posts)
53. Laid-off steelworkers in Detroit don't give a flying fuck...
Mon Dec 23, 2019, 12:46 AM
Dec 2019

about Sanders buying his own book. Homeless people in California don't care about Sanders buying his own book. Brown kids in cages don't care about Sanders buying his own book.

Seriously, Democrats, stop the fucking nitpicking over books, wine caves, etc. and get it fucking together! We're dealing with corruption at staggering levels and IMPOTUS's cult-like followers... stop tearing down Democratic candidates! Jesus.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

OnDoutside

(19,908 posts)
61. Sanders buying his own book ? Are you saying he used his personal
Mon Dec 23, 2019, 02:53 AM
Dec 2019

money to do so, and not campaign funds ?

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

SMC22307

(8,088 posts)
62. I have NO idea and I don't care.
Tue Dec 24, 2019, 12:49 AM
Dec 2019

What I care about is another four years of Donald Trump.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

James48

(4,416 posts)
54. I wish you folks would go tilt at other
Mon Dec 23, 2019, 12:53 AM
Dec 2019

Windmills.

Look- we have some very good primaries coming up (I’m with Bernie), and then

I’m going to work my tail off for whoever our nominee becomes.

I hope it is Bernie.

But whoever it is- will have my support. So let’s stop beating up dead horses. Thank you. ( the last election is over.)

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
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