To this day, Barack Obama earns $3.75 for every hardcover copy and $1.12 for every paperback he sells. As a sitting President, Obama is not allowed to release any for-profit endeavors, but when his second term ends in 2016, you can be sure every major publishing company in the world will be clamoring to release his official autobiography. George W. Bush received a $7 million advance for his memoir “Decision Points” and Bill Clinton received a record setting $15 million for “My Life”. Interestingly, despite receiving more than double the advance and having an arguably more salacious story to tell, Clinton actually sold fewer books than Bush.
http://www.celebritynetworth.com/articles/celebrity/barack-obama-fortune/
My objection is that ex-presidents and those close of them are treated as royalty. People throw money at them. the Bush girls and Chelsea for example. How much money do we devote the the care and protection of the living ex-presidents and their families. Given that none lack means, why not cut it off after, say, ten years?
And Clinton even had the Oprah book club seal of approval.