MARK BEGO: “THE PRINCE OF POP BIOGRAPHIES” GETS POLITICAL WITH YORKSHIRE PUBLISHING'S “CAMPAIGNING FOR PRESIDENT”—OUT JUNE 4
NEW YORK -- What is the best-selling rock & roll biographer in the show business realm doing, writing a book on politics with “Campaigning For President?” asks author Mark Bego, “One of the reasons why this is a viable transition into another literary genre for me, is that political campaigns are 90% show business, and the act of finding an audience and playing to it—just like the music business.”
Bego, whose last two books— “Band of Gold” with Freda Payne, and “Joe Cocker: With A LOT of Help from His Friends”—both from Yorkshire Publishing—electrified the charts and further solidified his position as “the Prince of Pop Biographies” (a title given to him by Publisher’s Weekly). On the heels of the Cocker biography, Bego was approached about reviving and updating the popular 2008 book: “Campaigning For President.” According to him, “I am always up for a new literary adventure—and this seemed like a fun and historically relevant one to be involved with!”
Jordan M. Wright was the owner of the world’s most extensive collection of U.S. Presidential campaign memorabilia when he published the original 2008 book, “Campaigning For President.” Only months later Wright tragically died, and his collection eventually found a permanent home at Long Island University. Since that time there have been five new presidential campaigns to write about, including the current 2024 Trump vs. Biden battle. Bego was approached by Wright’s widow, Pamala Wright, about writing five new chapters, a new beginning, and re-imagining the original coffee table book. “It intrigued me, and I was up for the challenge,” proclaims Bego.
According to Mark, “The five political campaigns that I have written about for this book have undoubtedly been the most dramatic ones ever mounted. And, the best part of this assignment is the fact that the book does not take political sides. It is all about the memorabilia that is created for a presidential campaign, not the politics of it. You can be a Republican, an Independent, or a Democrat, and still find everything in this book to be fascinating and of historical significance.”
“In my mind, a political rally can unfold the same way as a rock concert,” says Bego. “People can walk away from such an event with a Donald Trump ‘MAGA’ hat, or an ‘I’m With Hillary’ bumper sticker, or any number of catchy marketing items. While I have spent my time collecting PEZ dispensers, and memorabilia on The Supremes and The Beatles, the original author of this book—Jordan M. Wright—was busy collecting political campaign items from George Washington in the 1780’s, up to George W. Bush in the 2000’s. It is basically the same act, just a different arena.”
This new and fully updated version of the lavishly illustrated book “Campaigning For President,” with all new Bego material, is due to be released on June 4 from Yorkshire Publishing. It represents Mark's 69th published book.
Bego explains, “There is flattering memorabilia in this book about every candidate, and there are also some unflattering memorabilia about many of them too. My task here is to present both sides of the coins, and to view the items in this book for their cleverness, their bitchiness, their ideals, their humor, and—ultimately—their effectiveness in the political outcome.”
Mark Bego’s next literary effort will undoubtedly return him to his musical wheelhouse. “I have several titles in my head; and in fact, have already begun writing one of them,” confirms the author.
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