Conservatives often bemoan the Left-wing tilt of the New York Times, rolling our collective eyes when the Grey Lady steams through choppy waters on a collision course with the facts. The truth is, conservatives gave up on the Times, along with the Washington Post, the LA Times and network news long ago.
But there’s an even more troubling trend emerging since November: the increasingly weak knees of the conservative media. Many large, well-established conservative outlets have gone “wobbly,” as Margaret Thatcher put it, placing their chips on the “establishment” rather than the “conservative” squares of the table.
It’s not just conservative cable TV and online news — political correctness has struck conservative book publishers as well. At the big New York houses, conservative imprints are closing shop, rolling up the carpet and showing editors the door. Even at some nominally conservative publishing houses, safety seems to be trumping principle. At the same time, Regnery (where I served for 20 years) is still the gold standard for traditional conservative publishing, but Regnery releases fewer than 25 new titles a year in their flagship imprint. When that is the only choice, celebrity pundits and franchise authors take up most of the available slots. I have talked to several high-profile Trump administration alumni who cannot get a hearing anywhere.
What’s a conservative author to do? Where there is crisis, there is opportunity. Fortunately, the publishing world has seen a proliferation of unconventional options for authors. No longer do you need a literary agent who specializes in two-hour lunches with acquiring editors at The Four Seasons. No longer are you at the mercy of traditional publishers who water down your message, take two years to bring your book to market, and then botch your book launch.
You will have to work harder, it’s true. You will be responsible for constantly growing your platform, regularly writing or blogging and then pitching yourself to the media, staying in touch with your audience via email and social media, scouring the headlines for news hooks that can make your message relevant. But these models also provide some unique benefits: speed to market, for one thing. But also, more control over your message, more direct connection to your readers, more involvement in your marketing and positioning.
If you are willing to get your hands dirty, independent publishers, hybrid publishers and self-publishing are all viable options, especially for authors who are crusaders for their message. And let’s face it, we all must be crusaders now, as the far Left retains its stranglehold on the culture and the country.
That means a conservative author’s job is not simply to write a book (truth is, that was never the whole job). It’s not even enough just to promote your book. Your job is to become a missionary. A malaria-ridden, mosquito-bitten, gun-carrying, campfire-cooking missionary. You will be attacked, you will be marginalized, you will be alone in enemy territory. Pack your water-purifying kit and your machete, and head for the jungle. Most importantly, keep your moral compass close to your heart.
Longer-term, conservatives need to embrace the jungle, and set up camp. We need to find and support fellow crusaders. Those of us who get there early need to make a place around the campfire for other crusaders for liberty. That vox climantis in deserto (my college motto, now quite ironically) will only become a rousing chorus if we encourage and amplify each other. I don’t mean to go all conspiracy-theory here, but the time is coming when real conservatives will have to make very hard choices, putting both our money and our livelihoods where our mouth is. Boycotting some very comfortable conveniences, pulling out of some very profitable relationships, sacrificing some long-enjoyed comforts and habits. We will only have the strength to do so if we build alliances with like-minded conservatives and old-fashioned Liberals who also believe in free speech, free markets, and liberty. Head for the jungle and make camp. Start now.