Bookstore Owner Says 'Fire And Fury' Demand Unlike Any He's Seen For Political Tell-All
By Shaun Boyd
DENVER (CBS4)- A new book critical of President Donald Trump hit the shelves on Friday and it's already number one on Amazon's best-seller list.
People lined up outside some bookstores at midnight to get a copy of "Fire and Fury" by Michael Wolff.
The publisher pushed up the release date from Tuesday to Friday after the president threatened to sue.
At Denver's Tattered Cover Bookstore, owner Len Vlahos says demand is unlike any he's seen for a political tell-all.
"It's been back-to-back-to-back-to-back phone calls all day. Our internet store at TatteredCover.com has been inundated with orders. The demand has been - I wouldn't call quite "Harry Potter" like - but it's certainly unprecedented for a political book."
He says much of the intrigue is likely due to Mr. Trump himself, who threatened to sue the author and publisher and then sent a cease-and-desist letter to former chief strategist Steve Bannon, a primary source for the book.
"I think you have to believe the White House engaging on this with a cease and desist called attention to it and everybody wants to know why," says Vlahos.
One of Bannon's more damning claims is that a meeting between a Russian attorney and Donald Trump Junior was treasonous.
Emily Magner of Denver is among those on a wait list for the book, "There's been a lot of hype about it and I kind of want to know if it's worse than I think it is, if that's even possible."
Pres. Trump tweeted that he didn't authorize access to the White House, never spoke to the book's author and that it's full of lies and misrepresentations.
But, Michael Wolff defended his work on NBC's "Today" show, "I have recordings. I have notes. I am certainly, in absolutely every way, comfortable with everything I've reported in this book."
The early release date hurt brick-and-mortar bookstores like Tattered Cover, which sold out of the few copies they got right away. The store will have a larger shipment of Fire and Fury next Tuesday, the original release date.
Shaun Boyd is CBS4's political specialist. She's a veteran reporter with more than 25 years of experience. Follow her on Twitter @cbs4shaun.