Book versions of special counsel Robert Mueller's report were occupying the top spots of Amazon's US bestseller list on Saturday, despite being available for free online.

Publishers are hoping to cash in on the intense interest in Mueller's long-awaited report on Russian tampering in the 2016 presidential election and Donald Trump's campaign.

From the moment the 448-page document was released on the internet on Thursday, three book publishers - Scribner, Melville House and Skyhorse - have been racing to package it in dead-tree format.

Scribner's version, which also features analysis from The Washington Post, was Amazon's number 1 bestseller on Saturday, with Skyhorse's at number 2. Melville House's was ranked number 4.

The three books range in price from 7 to 10 dollars and are currently only available for pre-order. The publishers aim to have them hit mailboxes and store shelves within days.

In an interview with US National Public Radio, Skyhorse's Editorial Director Mark Gompertz said he had a team of nine people available to proofread ‘throughout the day and night if that's what it takes.’  ‘We have our typesetters sitting here doing it in a proper typographical way. That's a lot easier for people to read when it's set nicely,’ Gompertz said.

There is a history in the US of high-profile government reports being sold in paper form. Both the Starr Report, which detailed Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky, and the 9/11 Commission Report did brisk business for publishers.

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