JD Vance book Hillbilly Elegy skyrockets on video streaming and stores’ backorder lists

Sen. J.D. Vance‘s (R-OH) bestselling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, has exploded in book sales, alongside the movie, which is based on his book, sitting atop streaming services’ trending lists following former President Donald Trump naming the senator as his 2024 running mate.

Vance’s memoir, published by HarperCollins, shares his tough upbringing of living in poverty in the Appalachians.

The 2020 film adaptation of his memoir, directed by Ron Howard and starring Glenn Close and Amy Adams, has surged in video streaming views by 1,180%, according to research firm Luminate. By Wednesday, the film ranked fourth-most streamed movie on Netflix.

His memoir in paperback form has remained #1 on Amazon‘s bestselling books chart and his hardback copy has been No. 2 on the list since Tuesday. The book has also been a part of Amazon’s Prime Day Deals this week. Vance’s paperback was discounted from $17.99 to $7.45, and the Kindle version’s deal was down to $13.49 from $17.99 for a limited time during Prime Day.

While Amazon continues to sell a rapid number of Vance’s books, some bookstores have noted they are having trouble keeping up with the demand.

“I have already had a demand for Hillbilly Elegy before my doors opened this AM. Overnight this book has just become very popular and already is on back order at the publisher,” the Little Green Bookstore in Zelienope, Pennsylvania, wrote on its Facebook page. “I have had multiple calls this AM. I sold all the used copies I had in stock but will check my inventory for more. My order is in with publisher and they expect to ship after July 20.”

“Unless a seller has already had stock – this will be [the] case for any bookseller so please be patient with us. in the meantime, if you have a copy and would like to donate to store – we will certainly ensure it gets into a readers hands,” the bookstore added.

Goodreads reportedly saw an uptick in reviews for the book, which caused the algorithm to temporarily limit the ratings or review of a book due to the “unusual” activity on the site.

“This book has temporary limitations on submitting ratings and reviews. This may be because we’ve detected unusual behavior that doesn’t follow our review guidelines,” a Goodreads message said.

The company had explained in 2023 that it tries to limit “review bombing.”

The 39-year-old Ohio senator and bestselling author will be in the spotlight Wednesday night when he introduces himself to a national audience during his first speech as the Republican vice presidential nominee in the 2024 election.