"My Life"

Photo courtesy Clinton Presidential Center Jacket cover of President Bill Clinton's memoir: "My Life"

Even before the writing began, former President Bill Clinton's memoir was different from those of previous presidents -- no other presidential memoir has garnered a $10 million advance. The up-front money, along with a record-breaking first printing of 1.5 million copies, is proof-positive that publisher Alfred A. Knopf believes Clinton's story -- all 957 pages of it -- is going to be a huge success.

It looks like they're right. On June 15, 2004, one week before its release, "My Life" was ranked number one in Amazon.com's sales rankings. Reportedly, the book has enjoyed a spot in the top-10 at Amazon for a couple of months. All this, and the book tour has barely just begun. Clinton's first main appearance -- at BookExpo America -- filled the 2,700-person convention room beyond capacity.

With book signings and talks planned at book stores across the country, along with a host of radio and television talk show appearances, Clinton is going to be almost everywhere talking with almost everyone about his new book. Clinton started his small-screen rounds with Dan Rather on CBS's news show, "60 Minutes." He's also appearing on the other major networks, including ABC's Oprah Winfrey show.

When I was a young man, getting out of law school, I said one of the goals I had in life was to write a great book. I have no earthly idea if it's a great book. But, it's a pretty good story. Bill Clinton

Another manner in which Clinton's memoir should be different from its predecessors is presentation -- how the story is told. Several historians readily admit they have little more than a passing interest in presidential memoirs. Due to the very nature of the writing, memoirs can be seen as self-serving and one-sided in their presentation. However, many folks are anticipating something different from Clinton -- quite possibly an openness that hasn't been seen since Grant's well-liked work.

In fact, according to a press release about "My Life," Sonny Mehta, President and Editor-in-Chief of Alfred A. Knopf, said:

It is a riveting personal drama as well as a fascinating look at the American political arena over the past four decades. He talks with candor about his successes, as well as his setbacks, looking at both his career in public service and his life. It is the fullest and most nuanced account of a presidency ever written, and one of the most revealing and remarkable memoirs I have ever had the honor of publishing.

Bill Clinton isn't the only successful author in the Clinton family -- former first lady Hillary Clinton has seen great success with her memoir, "Living History." In fact, first ladies generally see more success with their publishing than their spouses do. Let's take a closer look at this counterpart to the presidential memoir.

Just the Facts Clinton remodeled an old barn behind his house in Chappaqua to make himself a writing studio. In it, he gathered all sorts of memorabilia from his life to help inspire his writing. Clinton received an advance of more than $10 million. Clinton wrote "My Life" in longhand, filling approximately 20 separate notebooks. Publisher Alfred A. Knopf scheduled a record 1.5 million copies for the first print run of "My Life." Clinton is recording an abridged audio version of "My Life" -- it will be available on a multiple-CD set. The memoir includes more than 30 pages of photographs.