• by Philip Rosenstein , Staff Writer, November 5, 2015

Both Donald Trump and Jeb Bush began promoting their recently released books this week. In a tradition that dates back at least to John F. Kennedy’s Pulitzer Prize winning "Profiles in Courage." Candidates for president nowadays are almost uniformly published authors.

Releasing a book offers opportunities for candidates to market themselves directly on a personal level to potential voters. Though not always great reads, candidates can offer anecdotes and intertwine them with policy positions.

Jeb released an ebook titled “Reply All,” which was touched on in yesterday’s column. Trump takes a more aggressive swing at his opposition: His book is titled “Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again.”

“Crippled America” is rife with colloquialisms, the preface is titled, "You Gotta Believe." There is no index, and it is bereft of sources. The book features tables of Trump holdings and various photos of his buildings.

Trump supporters are excited. If you strolled past the Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in New York around midday on Tuesday, you would have seen hundreds in line snaking around the block, some with books already in hand.

The book resembles more of a Trump campaign stop than an elaboration of his policy positions. “Knock me down, and I come back even stronger. I love it!” it reads.

The book lacks accuracy and contradicts itself at certain turns. In a chapter fully dedicated to the media, Trump notes his success using the media to his own benefit before deeming the press uncontrollable, writing: “Anybody who believes I can use the media is absolutely wrong.”

To be sure, Trump has been able to use the media to his advantage — and very successfully I might add. By far the most talked about candidate to date this cycle, the ubiquitous saying, "any press is good press," is more than appropriate. So far, per Politico, his biggest expense is spending $825,000 on logo hats and other Trump gear — not TV spots.

Chris Christie has a surprisingly titled biography coming out in January: “American Governor: Chris Christie’s Bridge to Redemption.” Also in January, Ben Carson’s wife Candy is releasing “A Doctor in the House: My Life With Ben Carson.”

The direct influence of these books on a campaign is difficult to interpret. For context, Hillary Clinton’s publisher released a 10-year anniversary edition of her 1996 book “It Takes a Village” prior to the 2008 election. It flopped, selling a measly 6,000 copies, according to Nielsen’s BookScan.

Conversely, Barack Obama’s 2006 book, “Audacity of Hope” was a New York Times and Amazon best seller. His books didn’t win him the election, but it certainly didn’t hurt.