Sign a book deal, make money from your time in the Trump White House

When someone leaves the Trump administration they often do the media circuit or go into hiding to start writing a tell-all book. The latter is usually met with criticism that the person is simply trying to cash in on their story. Well… duh!

Let’s be honest: The train wreck of a White House is filled with such drama that any book about its goings on is sure to be a bestseller. And someone in a high-profile role who’s been turfed is easily going to have rock-star status for months after their departure.

Is it wrong to cash in on a story? Is this something new that we’ve never seen before? Bitch, please!

We’ve seen sit-down interviews and front-page tabloid stories for decades. (Hell, reality shows have been exploiting people’s lives for a generation already.) But something about a person rushing to land a book deal is bothersome to critics.

Looking at it from a business point of view, of course a book deal is a better option. A paid interview will rarely land seven figures. A book deal, with a publisher’s advance, and then royalties and all the other payments that come along with it is highly lucrative to cash in.

Remember, the person is out of a job. They need some sort of income. In a way, they are carrying on with having a paycheque related to the job from which they were ousted.

So when James Comey did it or even Hillary Clinton (who wasn’t fired by Trump, I realize that) went into seclusion to pen a fascinating tale of their life experience, people were waiting to hear about it. Ditto for when Sean Spicer puts out a book or Kellyanne Conway or Sarah Sanders.

Without even knowing what’s inside, you can pretty much guarantee that these books will be bestsellers. And trust me, as an author myself — a bestselling one at that —  I long to have publishing houses fighting over my pages.

There’s nothing wrong with getting paid to exploit your life.