Now, I pride myself on having a fairly diverse group of friends, but even my conservative compatriots are scratching their heads over this one. It's not like we all think that people who are interested in Sarah Palin are illiterate or hillbillies or anything, but no one I've talked to (in the industry or outside it) seems to be able to name anyone they know who'd really want to read it (or, at least, spend $30 on it—and with the e-book delayed until after Christmas, there won't be a $9.99 version anytime soon).
And then I realized something: all of the people I talked to are currently in New York City, are from New York City, or have otherwise been significantly influenced by New York City, one of the most liberal cities in the United States. Suddenly, it all sort of makes sense.
If you haven't heard, we're notorious for believing civilization ends at the Hudson, and more than one coworker has expressed his opinion to me that acquisition editors are often hampered by the fact that what they think people want to read is really just what they think New Yorkers want to read. We New York folk live in a bubble of sorts, and since the heart, left lung, left kidney, and spleen of publishing are all in NYC, it makes sense that a lot of books will skew in that direction. Thus, if the books we generate favor a New York audience and a New York audience, in general, tends toward liberal politics, there would be some correlation between what's being published and that which is politically left of center (QED).
Despite this, however, we publishing folk (especially those of us in sales) are aware of the broad appeal conservative voices have in the market: just look at recent bestsellers by authors like Glenn Beck, Michelle Malkin, Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly, and Dick Morris. We might not really get it, but we know from last year's election that there are a lot of people (roughly half the country) who might be interested in reading Sarah Palin's memoirs, and by golly, if we think you'll buy it, we're going to publish it. Done and done.
Now, before I open this up for comments, a necessary disclaimer: PMN is not a political blog and, while open and honest debate are highly encouraged, I realize that political discussions could potentially get out of hand. Therefore, any and all inappropriate comments—especially anonymous ones—will be deleted post-haste.
That said, you tell me: are you going to be buying Going Rogue on November 17th, either for yourself or as a gift? Who do you know who will? Do you think the New York Bubble™ has clouded the collective Jedi mind powers of publishing industry insiders (yours truly included)?
