(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his allies spent weeks boasting that his book, Young Man in a Hurry, became a “best-seller” within hours of its March release. However, a new report found those sales were largely driven by Newsom’s own super PAC using donor funds.
The book, published March 10 and centered on Newsom’s upbringing in California, has reportedly sold 97,400 copies since its release. Of those, 67,000 were purchased by Newsom’s Campaign for Democracy Committee through a donation-for-book scheme,
The leftist New York Times reported Friday that the PAC urged supporters to make donations in exchange for a copy of the book, effectively turning each contribution into a guaranteed sale.
Critics described the setup as a potential money-laundering scheme, with the super PAC purchasing copies from its publisher Porchlight Book Company for every donation, regardless of the amount.
“Make a contribution of ANY AMOUNT today and I will send you a copy,” Newsom reportedly wrote in an email pitch.
In total, Newsom’s PAC spent $1,561,875 on the effort.
This might not be the book people expected me to write.
It's about something universal — the messiness of becoming who we are.
Young Man in a Hurry is out February 2026.
Pre-order it here: https://t.co/WMGKrREIre pic.twitter.com/OtB0MlcFSf
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) December 9, 2025
Defending the arrangement, Newsom spokesperson Nathan Click said the governor did not receive royalties from those purchases.
“Our goal was to deepen the relationship between him and the millions of folks who have already expressed support for Governor Newsom’s work. And as it turns out, the tactic more than paid for itself,” Click claimed.
Critics questioned the ethics of the program, with some suggesting it may have influenced Porchlight Book Company’s advance for Newsom’s 2026 book.
It remains unclear how much Newsom received as part of that advance. In 2019, however, he was paid $125,000 by Penguin Random House for Ben and Emma’s Big Hit, a children’s book.
A spokesperson for Newsom did not immediately respond to Headline USA’s request for comment regarding the advance for his latest book.
Steve Hilton’s on it! This is basically money laundering. Newsom writes a book, his PAC uses campaign donations to buy his books. He makes money on the royalties he gets back. His book sales are artificially inflated making him look more legitimate on the presidential stage. So,… https://t.co/iswaAlFo8a
— Buzz Patterson (@BuzzPatterson) April 17, 2026
