Who wrote O?
The mystery of who wrote O drove tons of speculation after the novel, inspired by Barack Obama's drive to the White House in the the 2008 presidential contest, hit bookshelves in early 2011.
The publisher of O, A Presidential Novel said only that the author who wrote O "has been in the room with Barack Obama and wishes to remain anonymous."
That little tidbit, though, didn't help solve the literary whodunit of who wrote O.
Speculation Over Who Wrote O
The leading theory on who wrote O was that it was authored by a former adviser to U.S. Sen. John McCain, Obama's Republican rival in the 2008 election.
The adviser, Mark Salter, didn't confirm or deny the reports.
Earlier guesses as to who wrote O included first lady Michelle Obama, the president's former adviser David Axelrod, a onetime White House social secretary and a former communications director. All have denied writing O.
See more: 5 Wackiest Myths About Obama
Also denying he wrote O was Joe Klein, whose 1996 novel Primary Colors was based on Bill Clinton's 1996 presidential campaign and was later made into a movie.
Mystery of Who Wrote O Didn't Impact Sales
The book debuted with lackluster sales numbers despite attempts by the publisher to drum of interest by exploiting the anonymity of the author who wrote O.
Publisher Simon & Schuster described the book as a "novel about aspiration and delusion, set during the presidential election of 2012 and written by an anonymous author who has spent years observing politics and the fraught relationship between public image and self-regard."
But the publishing house also described "O" as containing "truth only fiction can tell."
"The novel includes revealing and insightful portraits of many prominent figures in the political world - some invented and some real," Simon & Schuster said.
The 368-page book hit the shelves in January 2011.