McCain earned a total of $257,000 from book royalties in 2006 and 2007, donating all of it and additional contributions to charity, with half showing up on his return and half on his wife's.
The Arizona senator splits the royalties from his five books equally with his coauthor, Mark Salter, who is also his speechwriter and a top campaign advisor. Over the last decade, McCain has donated his share of the royalties -- $1.8 million -- to charity, according to the campaign.
Most of McCain's books were not widely available when he began campaigning last year, and his sales paled compared with those of Obama, who took in $3.9 million in sales from his two books in 2007 alone.
Sen. Clinton and her husband, former President Clinton, have also fared well with their memoirs. Her "Living History" has brought in more than $10 million since 2000, according to her tax returns.
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ralph.vartabedian@latimes.com
maeve.reston@latimes.com
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Times researcher Scott Wilson contributed to this report.
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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)
$118,660
Federal taxes paid by Sen. John McCain in 2007 on an income of $405,409.
$105,467
McCain's charitable contributions for the year.
$23,157
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Social Security benefits McCain collected for the year.
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Source: Los Angeles Times
