Can Liberals Publish Conservative Books?

RichardPoe.com ^ | June 3, 2003 | Richard Poe

[Travis McGee]

More conservative publishers can only help. If Crown Forum tries to stifle the edge out of conservative works, they will only lose the best new writers to Regnery and the others again.

[GOPJ]

bump

[Lee'sGhost]

Are you the answer to a prayer? I've written an historical fiction and have just about decided to go the Internet route because I'm getting nowhere with the usual suspects. I truly believe it is largely because publishing is SO dominated by libs, especially females, and I happen to be a male who has, by all accounts (except lib agents) written a great book.

I have two anecdotes that are actually different versions of the same situation. The agent says, "You write just like John Grisham (the other agent said Nicholas Sparks).

"That's great!" say I.

"No," says the agent. "I hate the way he writes."

AAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

Just like Ann Coulter I'm thinking, "I thought your job was to get books published.

If anybody knows ANYBODY who give a good historical fiction a chance, please let me know.

Frustrated in NC.

[GOPJ]

I want conservative books -- science fiction that isn't silly, political books based in facts not "feelings", fiction reflecting my tribe and movies with "Key Largo" type villains rather than evil incarnate glorified as "smart".

I want conservative restaurants where the music is for the patrons not the wait staff. I want conservative communities, homes, and furniture. Someone has figured out that we're a market. A large, rich, totally ignored market. This is the tip of the iceberg.

[GOPJ]

I want conservative books -- science fiction that isn't silly, political books based in facts not "feelings", fiction reflecting my tribe and movies with "Key Largo" type villains rather than evil incarnate glorified as "smart".

I want conservative restaurants where the music is for the patrons not the wait staff. I want conservative communities, homes, and furniture. Someone has figured out that we're a market. A large, rich, totally ignored market. This is the tip of the iceberg.

[Lee'sGhost]

Hey, it was worth repeating. . .

[brownie]

I hear some merchandising on during conservative talk radio shows. But, that is about it.

[GOPJ]

This stuff is great.

:)

[GOPJ]

This stuff is great.

:)

[Travis McGee]

I'm going the self-publishing and internet route initially.

I am not willing to crawl on my knees up and down 5th avenue, only to be sneered at by facially-pierced liberal elitists.

Remember, Tom Clancy could not get The Hunt For Red October published in New York, and he found another way.

I think he has sold a few books since then.

[Travis McGee]

I want conservative books -- science fiction that isn't silly, political books based in facts not "feelings", fiction reflecting my tribe....Someone has figured out that we're a market. A large, rich, totally ignored market. This is the tip of the iceberg.

See number 18.

[Poohbah]

Remember, Tom Clancy could not get The Hunt For Red October published in New York, and he found another way.

IIRC, Clancy approached the US Naval Institute Press first, never bothering to approach New York, and the USNI had a long internal debate about publishing fiction (which they had not done before).

[Poohbah]

Are any of the conservative publishing houses you have listed considering branching into conservative fiction? I wild note the success of the extremely badly written "Left Behind" series within the Christian conservative demographic. There is a market out there starving for good conservative fiction!

There is a trick to writing good "conservative fiction."

It's to not worry so much about your message--you will get it out, because you'll write about what you believe to be true and good--as it is to worry about using good technique in your craft.

[Lee'sGhost]

Keep me posted, if you will. My novel would never make it via vanity press, but I'm not sure about e-publishing. I haven't come across anything that looked like a real publisher rather than a scam wanting a bunch of up front money.

[Lee'sGhost]

Hey, check your tag message with mine.

You want to live forever?

[Poohbah]

Who wants to live forever/
When love must die?

[Travis McGee]

There is a huge difference between "vanity publishers" and "self publishing," and I am not talking at all about e-books.

If you don't have Dan Poynter's book "The Self Publisher's Manual" you should check it out.

The cost of self publishing a hundred thousand 500 page trade paperbacks is about $3 a book. The cost for only 1,000 is not that much more, about $5. Modern technology allows very efficient short runs. So as far as creating the hard copy work, you don't need a "publisher" any more, only a printer, and there are 100s. Their offset ink printing and binding work is indistinguishable from the largest "publishing houses" in NY.

So that leaves promotion and distribution. Promotion is more do-able today than ever because of the internet. Ditto distribution. Books by unknown authors sitting on shelves at B&N have a 90% chance of being returned, and then you are finished with few second chances.

Just some random thoughts, I have to run out the door, more later.

[GOPJ]

night bump

[WOSG]

Great article. I look forward to seeing this run in the New York Times Review of Books .... NOT!

Seriously, it seems that there is a lot more than money-making involved in publishing. I have enough resources to start up a conservative publishing house. Should I try? It seems the big names keep destroying the conservative press and shutting it down. but that smells like business opportunity to me.

good luck with your new book.

[firebrand]

See reply 37