Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis released his memoir last week and quickly hit the New York Times bestseller list with sales exceeding the first-week purchases of other top political leaders.

"The Courage to Be Free" sold over 94,000 copies including preorders, not including e-book editions sold.

Ron DeSantis' memoir sold more copies in its first week than books by Donald Trump, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton during their one week of sales. Got the numbers right here: https://t.co/z4x6draCVt

— Kimberly Leonard (@leonardkl) March 9, 2023

Instant Bestseller

"DeSantis’s memoir, titled 'The Courage to Be Free,' is widely seen as a prelude to the Florida governor’s expected run for the Republican nomination for the presidency and features a number of themes present in his daily political messaging," according to The Hill.

"The governor’s book beat out Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex’s memoir 'Spare' on the list after being published late last month," it added.

DeSantis book tops New York Times bestseller list https://t.co/1JrQuGF1kO pic.twitter.com/SzdAgDOjKO

— The Hill (@thehill) March 10, 2023

Move Over, Trump?

"Clinton's memoir 'Hard Choices,' about her time working in the Obama administration before mounting her 2016 presidential run, sold 86,200 copies in its first week, according to BookScan. Former President Barack Obama's book 'The Audacity of Hope,' as the then-Illinois US Senator became a rising star in the Democratic Party, sold 67,500 copies in its first week of sales, according to BookScan," Business Insider reported.

"Trump's 2015 campaign book 'Crippled America' sold 27,687 copies in its first week, BookScan shows," it added.

DeSantis Memoir Sells More Copies Than Trump, Obama, Clinton in First Week https://t.co/sPa8AZFFAM

— Mediaite (@Mediaite) March 9, 2023

Prelude to '24?

"Recent polls show Trump retaining his hold over the Republican Party as he prepares his 2024 campaign," according to Mediaite.

"Still, DeSantis has been on a major publicity tour lately to promote his book, and he is commonly thought to be [the] most difficult rival Trump may face in a Republican primary," it added.

DeSantis memoir tops bestseller list as Trump rolls out new $99 photo book https://t.co/zkJAR5DE6S

— The Independent (@Independent) March 10, 2023

Trump also has a new book coming out. The new "Letters to Trump" is a $99 collection of letters from celebrities and political leaders launching as part of his ongoing comeback bid for the White House.

Trump's book is published by Winning Team Publishing, co-founded by his son Donald Trump Jr. The company's books include only Trump, Trump Jr and one title by Charlie Kirk, leader of Turning Point USA.

The contrast between DeSantis and Trump continues to grow as the Florida governor's popularity rises as a potential contender to defeat Trump in the presidential primary and give conservatives a new option for 2024.

The governor, however, has not yet made a decision on whether to run. Trump leads in many early primary polls, leaving contenders like DeSantis waiting to decide whether to make an entry.

The new book is, by all accounts, incredibly popular. But whether it will be enough to push him ahead of Trump and win the highly prized GOP presidential primary remains to be seen.