Largest advance for a non-fiction book

The largest advance paid by a publisher is $65 million (£50 million), which was offered to former US president Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for their memoirs (published as Becoming in 2018 and as A Promised Land in 2020). Trade-publishing giant Penguin Random House won the bidding war for the two books, agreeing an advance that works out to $32.5 million per title in April 2017.

Back in 2017, many in the publishing industry questioned the financial wisdom of this deal. However, both Michelle Obama's memoir, Becoming and the first part of Barack Obama's memoir, A Promised Land, (which was split into two parts during the editing process) have gone on to be huge sales successes. As of January 2021, A Promised Land has sold more than 3 million copies and Becoming has sold 14 million.