On the prospects of a Jared Kushner book deal: “I don’t think he has a lot of credibility with the MAGA audience, which is where you need these books to sell like hot cakes and then trying to publish it as liberal torture porn is not going to work either.” https://t.co/RD7RfUlngN
— Carlos Lozada (@CarlosLozadaWP) April 19, 2021
But sometimes profiting from those ‘books’ might be more difficult than expected. As I was taught, the Biblical quote in the title warned against scam artists and false prophets attempting to lure the faithful into error, which certainly seems appropriate in this instance. Of course most political books, especially on the ‘Right’, are made not to be read but to be sold, either as the visible sign of the buyer’s piety, or in bulk for laundering campaign contributions.
But the value to their ‘authors’ is, quite often, being able to claim the clout of having Made A Deal, of having something worth selling that publishers find worth buying. Even if all they’ve actually got to sell is a photo on the dust jacket, and maybe some memorable quotes. (Was it Dennis Rodman, back in the 1980s, who briefly became notorious for complaining about his ‘autobiography’ in terms that made it clear he not only hadn’t written it, he hadn’t even gone to the trouble of reading it?)
Behold, the tragic downgrading in the worth of TFG on the ever-blessed Marketplace:
While some veterans of Donald Trump’s administration are having a tough time selling memoirs about their time in power, others with ties to Trump who didn’t embrace his election conspiracy theories have sold book deals…
“It would be hard to imagine anyone on the inside offering us any wisdom, insight or even good storytelling that would educate, enrich or even entertain us at this point,” said D.C. literary agent Gail Ross. “Books are selling quite well today because they offer us those elements. I presume a couple may convince a publisher otherwise. For me, tall tales by Trump acolytes don’t cut it.”…
“I think [publishers] try to draw a line between those who are operating in reality or got off the train before it crashed and those who are living in Trump-world in an alternative reality, and for New York book publishing, which is a super woke environment for things like that. It’s going to be tough to publish a lot of Trump administration officials,” said one publishing insider.
(N.B.:‘Super woke’ = adverse to expensive social blowback not mitigated by earned-media value)
Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and former White House adviser, is also expected to write a book, but when one major publisher was asked by POLITICO if they would try to secure the publishing rights to it, the person wasn’t interested…
One publishing industry source noted that Pence’s book may not do nearly as well as he hopes…
The person said that conservative readers are not eager to read behind-the-scenes looks at politics these days since they are locked out of power and are more interested in red-meat books attacking the left and President Joe Biden.
“There will only be a few more big books from the administration that succeed,” said the person. “I think Trump is fading much quicker from the national consciousness than people were banking on.”…