In Backlash Against Racial Showdown, Conservative Publishers See Gold


While staff in mainstream households have long leaned politically to the left, publishers have traditionally released books from across the political spectrum, and the conservative market has been lucrative for them – three of this week’s New York Times top ten best-selling books of nonfiction are conservative books. . Many of these books have been printed specifically for conservative writers commissioned by their own editors.

But in recent years, often in response to cries among staff, this has begun to change and the big houses have moved away from publishing more conservative and controversial writers. At the same time, conservatives are increasingly creating their own publishing ecosystems, rather than working from within special editions at major publishers. Donald Trump Jr. published his first book, “Triggered,” with Center Street, an imprint of Hachette, but last year self-publishing His second book is “Liberal Privilege”.

Until now, the conservative independent press has often been unable to compete in terms of the advances they can offer writers. What they offer instead is sometimes a profit-sharing model and an assurance that a book won’t be canceled because of anger on Twitter or among publisher staff. And the editors out there position themselves willingly to work with conservative writers.

“Everyone here is not only enthusiastic about the book – everyone who worked on the book will love it and you will love it – but we also know the market,” said Mr. Spence of Regnery. “We know how to sell conservative books to conservatives.”

This summer, former executives of Simon & Schuster and Hachette took the job. All Seasons Pressis a conservative house that describes itself as “welcoming writers who have been attacked, bullied, banned from social media, and in some cases outright rejected by politically correct publishers.” And a Washington public relations firm called Athos founded a literary agency that represents conservatives like Scott Atlas, Donald Trump’s former coronavirus adviser, and Christopher Rufo, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and director of the recently sold and critical race theory initiative. Broadside is a book about theory. Mr. Rufo is known for bringing anger at critical race theory into the conservative mainstream.

“Honestly, it’s the same thing with the left/right divide,” said David S. Bernstein, publisher of Bombardier Books and Emancipation Books. “We all know that on the other side we publish unreader and increasingly divisive books; Everyone in political broadcasting does that.”

“This is a chicken-and-egg thing,” he continued. “Are we directing the split, or are we reflecting the split?”



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