Development
Trump was persuaded to produce the book by Condé Nast owner Si Newhouse after the May 1984 issue of his magazine GQ—with Trump appearing on the cover—sold well.[8][9] Journalist Tony Schwartz was recruited directly by Trump after he read Schwartz's extremely negative 1985 New York Magazine article, "A Different Kind of Donald Trump Story", regarding his failed attempts to forcibly and illegally evict rent-controlled and rent-stabilized tenants from a building that he had bought on Central Park South in 1982. To Schwartz's amazement, Trump loved the article and even had the cover, which had an unflattering portrait of him, autographed by Schwartz and hung in his office. Schwartz was hired to write the book for $250,000 upfront; Trump assigned him half of the royalties. Schwartz later admitted that his motivation was purely financial, and he needed the money to support his new family.[10]
According to Schwartz in July 2016, Trump did not write any of the book, choosing only to remove a few critical mentions of business colleagues at the end of the process. Trump responded with conflicting stories, saying "I had a lot of choice of who to have write the book, and I chose Schwartz", but then said "Schwartz didn't write the book. I wrote the book." Former Random House head Howard Kaminsky, the original publisher, said "Trump didn't write a postcard for us!"[11] The book was published with the authorship given as "Donald Trump with Tony Schwartz". In 2019, Schwartz suggested that the work be "recategorized as fiction".
To inform the content and style, Schwartz drew on the already-substantial archive of news, profiles and books about Trump as well as interviews with Trump associates. When interviews with Trump himself proved unproductive, the two struck on an unusual alternative: Schwartz listened in on Trump's office phone calls for several months to witness him in action.[11] The experience was condensed into chapter one, "Dealing: A Week in the Life", which introduces the reader to countless boldface names and events. The chapter was excerpted in New York Magazine to promote the book[12] and served as a blueprint for future autobiographies.[13]
Schwartz was the subject of a July 2016 article in The New Yorker in which he describes Trump unfavorably and relates how he came to regret writing The Art of the Deal.[11] He also stated that if it were to be written today it would be very different and titled The Sociopath.[11] Schwartz repeated his self-criticism on Good Morning America, saying he had "put lipstick on a pig".[14] In response, Trump's attorneys demanded that Schwartz cede his royalties to Trump.[15][16]
The cover photo was taken by photographer Michele Singer, who would later become film director and actor Rob Reiner's second wife.[17][18]
