Recent presidential elections have seen the rise of the candidate memoir or manifesto. Using nine of these books authored by presidential hopefuls in the 2012 election, this article argues that this emerging genre plays an important role in what Judith Trent has called the surfacing stage of political campaigns. In addition to tracing the history of the genre, the article explains the function of such books and draws examples from the 2012 GOP primary to identify their recurring formal characteristics. The article concludes by discussing the study’s implications.