How much did Bernie Sanders earn from his 2016 bestseller publication?
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Executive summary
Bernie Sanders’ 2016 book Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In generated a large, well-documented one‑time payday: he received a reported advance of about $795,000 and, according to Senate disclosures and press analyses, total book-related income in 2016 was roughly $865,000–$878,000 — figures that, when combined with his Senate salary, pushed his 2016 household income above $1 million [1] [2] [3].
1. The headline number: the advance
Public reporting based on Sanders’ 2016 financial disclosures and contemporary press accounts identifies an advance for Our Revolution of about $795,000, a lump sum publishers pay against future royalties and the clearest, most concretely reported element of what he “earned” from the bestseller that year [1] [3].
2. Royalties and total book income in 2016 — multiple tallies
Beyond the advance, financial‑disclosure summaries and news outlets put Sanders’ total book income in 2016 in the mid‑six figures: the Burlington Free Press reported total book receipts of $865,484 for 2016, while Business Insider and other outlets cite roughly $868,000 in book royalties for that year; Money calculated that Sanders’ disclosed book receipts plus his $174,000 Senate pay meant his total 2016 income exceeded $1,052,000 [1] [4] [2].
3. How those pieces fit together — advance vs. royalties vs. annual income
The simplest reading is that the $795,000 advance formed the bulk of his 2016 publishing haul, with additional royalties and payments filling out the remainder to reach the $865k–$878k range cited in disclosures and reporting; when combined with the senator’s salary (reported at roughly $174,000), that produced the widely reported seven‑figure household income for 2016 [1] [2] [3].
4. Context and corroboration from industry and long‑run totals
Industry trackers and later profiles corroborate the book’s commercial reach: BookScan listed Our Revolution at about 220,000 copies sold, and Forbes’ multi‑year accounting credits Sanders with pulling in significant sums across several books — estimates like $1.7 million or more from the series overall — which aligns with the idea that the 2016 title produced the sharpest single‑year publishing windfall [5] [6].
5. Caveats, differing reports and what “earned” means
Reporting is consistent on the advance but varies slightly on exact royalty totals because public filings summarize categories and later royalty flows can be reported differently; some outlets round or aggregate with other book payments and young‑reader editions, producing modestly different totals (e.g., $865k vs. $878k). The advance is a verifiable contractual payment, while “royalties” reflect ongoing sales and accounting that may post in different years or be aggregated with related titles [1] [7] [6].
6. Political context and implicit agendas in coverage
Coverage highlighted the size of Sanders’ windfall because it produced a striking contrast with his campaign rhetoric about wealth inequality; critics used the figures to question consistency, while supporters pointed out that book earnings are common for high‑profile politicians and that Sanders remained far from the billionaire class — framing choices in reporting reflect those partisan and narrative incentives [3] [5].
7. Bottom line
The best‑supported figure: an advance of roughly $795,000 plus additional royalties and book payments that brought total 2016 book‑related income to about $865,000–$878,000 — a sum that, when added to his Senate pay, made 2016 a seven‑figure income year for Sanders according to his financial disclosure and contemporaneous press reporting [1] [4] [2].