What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
The available publisher figures do not establish which Obama has sold more books across all their titles. Michelle Obama’s Becoming has a reported milestone of more than 17 million units worldwide across formats, while Barack Obama’s A Promised Land and Dreams from My Father have separate reported milestones of more than 8 million and over 7 million copies worldwide. Those figures cover different books, measures and reporting dates, so they are not comparable author totals.
What the reported figures show
Penguin Random House’s title-specific announcements give a sense of the scale of the Obamas’ best-known books, but they do not provide a like-for-like tally of every book by either author.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
A Promised Land | $13.03 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream | $11.30 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance | $5.45 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Becoming | $10.48 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
Renegades: Born in the USA | $17.89 | Buy on Amazon |
| Author and book | Publisher-reported figure | Scope and qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Michelle Obama, Becoming | More than 17 million units | Worldwide, across formats; reported by Penguin Random House in July 2022. The publisher also said the U.S. edition alone had sold nearly 10 million units. Penguin Random House, 2022 |
| Barack Obama, A Promised Land | More than 8 million copies | Worldwide, according to a Penguin Random House paperback announcement; the announcement also gives more than 5 million copies in the United States. The excerpted announcement does not state its date. Penguin Random House paperback announcement |
| Barack Obama, Dreams from My Father | Over 7 million copies | Worldwide; reported by Penguin Random House in 2021. Penguin Random House, 2021 |
The Becoming figure is for one title, not Michelle Obama’s complete catalogue. The two Barack Obama figures are also title-specific milestones, not his career total. Adding them together—or comparing their sum with Becoming—would imply a current, common measurement basis that the publisher statements do not establish.
Why the totals cannot settle the overall comparison
Several differences matter when interpreting book-sales claims:
#1 Best Overall
- Different coverage: Each worldwide milestone refers to a particular title, not all books by its author.
- Different measures: Becoming is reported in units across formats; the other milestones are reported in copies. A separate announcement for A Promised Land reported copies in print, which is not the same as units sold.
- Different markets: Some figures cover worldwide sales, while others are limited to the United States or the United States and Canada.
- Different dates: The milestones were reported at different times, and they are not a current, same-date count.
Without comparable, current lifetime totals for both authors’ full catalogues, the answer to who has sold more books overall remains unresolved by these figures.
Other Barack Obama sales figures—and what they mean
Penguin Random House has also reported several narrower milestones for Barack Obama’s books. They help illustrate why the scope of a number matters, but they do not supply an all-title worldwide total.
Rank #2
- Barack Obama
- Black man gets worst job in America!
- Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope together had sold nearly 7 million copies in the United States, according to a Penguin Random House statement surfaced on its Barack Obama tag page. The statement’s excerpt does not give a date, and its figure is U.S.-only. Penguin Random House Barack Obama page
- A Promised Land sold 1,710,443 units in the United States and Canada during its first week, across all formats and editions, according to Penguin Random House’s 2020 announcement. Penguin Random House, 2020
- The same publisher separately reported 3,320,000 units in the United States and Canada during the book’s first month, and 7.55 million copies in print worldwide at that point. The latter is a print quantity, not a sales figure. Penguin Random House, 2020
Barack Obama’s publisher identifies Dreams from My Father, The Audacity of Hope and A Promised Land as New York Times bestselling books. That bestseller status is distinct from a comparable lifetime sales total. Penguin Random House Barack Obama page
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to read a book-sales claim
Before using a sales figure to compare authors, check four details: which title or titles it covers, which geography it counts, whether it measures sold units or copies in print, and when the figure was reported. A title milestone answers how that book performed under the stated scope; it does not, by itself, answer who has sold more books over a career.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Rank #4
Rank #3
- Dreams from My Father
- A Story of Race and Inheritance
- First Edition
- English
- Paperback
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
