I love it when idiots try to rationalize something they have no way of rationalizing except in their own minds. Case in point: Literary sales, conservative vs. liberal books with sales.
By the way here is a graphic of the heat map the DUmprat is referring to:
Onward!
OP. cali (Moocher) - Thu Aug 23, 2012 (1:38 pm)
Original Post - Post Count: 73,277
Conservative books sell better than liberal books. Why?
Posted by Ezra Klein on August 22, 2012 at 3:47 pm
The fine folks at Amazon have constructed a “heat map†showing the kinds of political books that people are buying across the country. The more conservative a state’s literary tastes, the more red it appears on the map. The more liberal the reading habits, the bluer the state gets. Here’s the result:
Conservative authors are selling more books. That’s true in Mississippi, but it’s also true in Connecticut. And it looks like Amazon’s methodology is, if anything, understating matters. They count Jonathan Haidt’s “The Righteous Mind†as a “blue book.†I’ve read “The Righteous Mind,†and it is, if anything, a scolding of liberals. They also count “Globalization: A Very Short Introduction†and Robert Caro’s most recenet biography of LBJ as blue books, which seems odd. None of the top 20 “red books†struck me as similarly misplaced. So if you correct for the outliers, the map would be even redder.
Some possible explanations:
1. Conservatives are more likely to read political books than liberals are.
2. Conservatives are more likely to read partisan political books than liberals are.
3. Conservatives are better at writing political books that people want to read than liberals are.
<snip>
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/08/22/conservative-books-sell-better-than-liberal-books-why/
According to the map there are only 3 states where "blue" reading outpaces "red" reading- plus D.C. And only one state is deep blue- and D.C.
NORMAL people would say that conservative books sell more because, well, conservative policies make SENSE. DUH!! But that would only infuriate the DUmprats. Let's take a gander at what's being said.
2. arcane1 (Star Member) - Thu Aug 23, 2012 (1:41 pm)
Reply to cali (Original post) - Post Count: 18,397
#6: conservative organizations buy books in bulk and give them away
Which is why the NYT best-sellers often have that tell-tale "*" next to the conservative books
YES! THAT'S IT! We buy all the books up IMMEDIATLY and then GIVE THEM AWAY!! One problem: the people producing (publishing) the books would make no money. But hey, whatever sounds good... so let's go with it.
14. Cleita (Star Member) - Thu Aug 23, 2012 (1:47 pm)
Reply to arcane1 (#2) - Post Count: 58,600
Bingo!
What a lot of people don't know is that the best seller lists are compiled from the number of books sold by the publisher, not the retailer. If the Heritage Foundation buys the bulk of one of Sean Hannity's screeds, he instantly becomes a best seller whether or not Barne's & Noble sells even one copy. If you go to a lot of these right wing think tank's websites, you will see offers for those books to be had for a generous discount and often free for donating to them or other just as a gift for requesting a copy.
Here's an example: http://www.askheritage.org/become-a-member/
I suppose what's left over makes a nice fire in the hearth at winter.
Ahhh... notice the Amazon sales, which are a far more accurate metric for determining end user (retail consumer) sales than virtually any other metric, actually corresponds with the Best Selling lists, and they even have an aggregate calculation method which tallies up the TOTAL take on book sales. Liberal books actually are discounted at GREATER numbers in SHORTER times following pulibcation than conservative books. But don't tell the DUmprats that little detail.
We move on...
42. Johonny (Moocher) - Thu Aug 23, 2012 (2:24 pm)
Reply to Cleita (#14) - Post Count: 10,175
why don't retailers list books by how they sell in their store?
instead of going by these best seller lists. I go into stores and see piles of the latest conservative crap not sold on the shelves listed in the order they were bought in bulk. You'd think box book stores would know their internal market better. Or maybe they do. I guess that's the question; do retail book dealers go by books sold by publisher or by their real in store sales when deciding to buy and market books? Because going by publisher numbers seems crazy, although I think they have less to lose since they can sell them back to the publisher. Still why waste shelf space on things no one wants in their store?
Grasping for grape Crush straws...
48. Cleita (Star Member) - Thu Aug 23, 2012 (2:34 pm)
Reply to Johonny (#42) - Post Count: 58,600
See my post #37. That should explain what is going on better
and why the conservative books are often in abundant supply and so cheap. I would really like to see one of our liberal think tanks compile lists of books actually sold at the retail level, when a book is first printed and released from the publisher, to get a better picture of exactly what the man on the street is buying in the stores and over the internet on an individual basis.
Maybe they are "cheap" because they are part of sales promotions. They KNOW these books sell, so they make them "cheap" because they let end users buy more in greater quantities, making more PROFITS for the bookstore owner! In addition, they are sold cheaper so that now the end user can mingle among the aisles and buy OTHER less publicized books at full prices. Ohhh...but that would be a GREEDY, CAPITALIST position, wouldn't it...
17. avebury (Moocher) - Thu Aug 23, 2012 (1:49 pm)
Reply to arcane1 (#2) - Post Count: 1,070
Ding Ding Ding we have a winner. +1
Also, I would like to see the stats on how many of them end up on the discount table (remember Palin's book?).
I also remember Franken's book, Carville's book, Moore's book, et. al.... but they weren't even in the bin; they were in the "discard" section.
30. librechik (Star Member) - Thu Aug 23, 2012 (2:11 pm)
Reply to arcane1 (#2) - Post Count: 23,633
exactly--buy them by the 100s and put them in remainder bins and thrift store kiosks
you can tell by the little dagger next to the title in the list--that means bulk buys
Again... you buy in bulk because you sell, well, the "bulk" at regular prices! But see Franken, Carville et all above...So lets look at the lemmings follow up...
32. GoCubsGo (Star Member) - Thu Aug 23, 2012 (2:12 pm)
Reply to arcane1 (#2) - Post Count: 10,444
I can't believe he left that off his list.
Because, that's exactly what is going on. If it's not some organization buying large numbers of them to give out with new memberships, etc., it's individuals purchasing several of them to give as gifts to all of their friends and relatives, because they think the recipient "needs" to read it. And, I have seen far more of those "conservative" best-sellers on shelf at the Dollar Tree than I have seen lefty books. Somebody here on DU mentioned seeing a bunch of Sarah Palin's book in the 3/$1 pile at their local dollar store, and they were off to be pulped, because nobody would buy them.
37. Cleita (Star Member) - Thu Aug 23, 2012 (2:17 pm)
Reply to GoCubsGo (#32) - Post Count: 58,600
The $1 books are what is known as remainders.
When retail stores can't sell the books, they have a window of opportunity to return the books to the publishers, who then dump them on the remainder market for mostly the cost of the paper they were printed on. Then they are bought by discounters like the Dollar Stores. The fact that there are more conservative books than lefty books tells the story that those were the books, Barnes & Noble, Amazon and et al couldn't sell and had to return.
Oh oh, the Lousy Cave Troll is next...
57. Chiyo-chichi (Star Member) - Thu Aug 23, 2012 (2:52 pm)
Reply to arcane1 (#2) - Post Count: 2,009
I know this is true, but how do you account for the Kindle edition sales?
If you go to the map on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/election-heatmap) and click around, you'll see that very often the same book is in the top 5 in a given state in both hardcover and Kindle edition. And on many of the state lists, 3 out of the top 5 sellers on the liberal or conservative list are Kindle editions.
I think the reason must be a combination of bulk sales and promotion on conservative talk radio, as someone says down-thread.
On another note: the Kindle anniversary edition of Atlas Shrugged is on the conservative Top 5 seller list in just about every state? I find that surprising and a bit hard to believe.
Ha! Pretty much sums up my own reasoning with the business marketing acquisition one above! OK, let's go to reason number two... blame Rush Limbaugh!
10. cdb120 (Moocher) - Thu Aug 23, 2012 (1:46 pm)
Reply to cali (Original post) - Post Count: 3
It's the radio...
I'm guessing the vast AM network of moronic pot-stirrers has a lot to do with it. They interview the authors, they plug the books, the publishers pay for advertising- the audience is an easy - and captive demographic. And if some AM hate dj recommends a book, the mindless listeners all march out in lock step to buy it.
Ha ha ha... "mindless listeners in lock step!" "Captive demographic." Hmmm... and Hollyweird doesn't have captive, mindless robots buying THEIR schlep?
24. Lizzie Poppet (Moocher) - Thu Aug 23, 2012 (1:59 pm)
Reply to cdb120 (#10) - Post Count: 762
Precisely: built-in audience.
Political radio is largely a conservative (and older person) demographic. It's also a perfect marketing platform for these books. It all adds up to big sales.
There is no equivalent left-wing marketing platform for left-leaning political books. Most of our political conversations occur online, and people expect to be able to simply click a hyperlink to additional political commentary and analysis.
31. RKP5637 (Star Member) - Thu Aug 23, 2012 (2:12 pm)
Reply to cdb120 (#10) - Post Count: 20,788
Yep, I think you hit the nail right square on the head!!!
13. RedStateLiberal (Star Member) - Thu Aug 23, 2012 (1:46 pm)
Reply to cali (Original post) - Post Count: 1,144
The same reason Fox News gets good ratings.
Conservatives need constant reinforcement of their irrational views.
Liberals need only look to reality to get support for our opinions.
15. WhollyHeretic (Star Member) - Thu Aug 23, 2012 (1:47 pm)
Reply to cali (Original post) - Post Count: 3,840
The same reason they are more successful on radio, they're demagogues
Demagoguery has always sold.
19. ElboRuum (Moocher) - Thu Aug 23, 2012 (1:56 pm)
Reply to cali (Original post) - Post Count: 3,944
Or...
4. Conservatives require more self-affirmation than liberals, so they buy this pap.
5. Liberals know where the intertubes are.
Remember, fooling yourself consistently is a full-time job.
One big orgy of "That's GOTTA be it! Rush Limbaugh!!" to justify the massive lead conservative books have over liberal books in sales.
27. MadrasT (Star Member) - Thu Aug 23, 2012 (2:07 pm)
Reply to cali (Original post) - Post Count: 3,978
Conservatives need to be told what to think.
Liberals figure it out without receiving marching orders.
This is too funny. Rush himself blows that out of the water why putting up his montage of all news media using the SAME democratic talking points. Who is following marching orders here?
34. CabCurious (Moocher) - Thu Aug 23, 2012 (2:15 pm)
Reply to cali (Original post) - Post Count: 477
Because conservatives are desperately trying to justify their incoherent values and beliefs
So they read political books to make themselves feel smart.
Liberals read... good books.
You mean books like...
"Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot"
"Animal Liberation"
"The Thumpin': How Rahm Emanuel and the Democrats Learned to Be Ruthless and Ended the Republican Revolution"
"Lies & the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair & Balanced Look at the Right"
Yep, real political classics chock full of political intelligence and sensible solutions. NOT!
40. Ezlivin (Star Member) - Thu Aug 23, 2012 (2:23 pm)
Reply to cali (Original post) - Post Count: 7,825
Churches bulk buy at discount
And red-state churches will use the pulpit to "inform" laypeople about conservative books.
"JEEEEE-ZUZZZ made me by these books! Can I have an AHHH-MEN???"
44. loyalsister (Star Member) - Thu Aug 23, 2012 (2:29 pm)
Reply to cali (Original post) - Post Count: 5,772
Liberals add to the numbers
We have a sick curiosity about what they have to say. We are also smart enough to see through the BS and consider the value of knowing what makes conservatives tick.
Let's see. You claim you never watch Fox news, yet you part your [strike]hard-earned[/strike] government assistance money to add to the evil 1%'rs profits. THAT'S the ticket...yeah![/size]
54. jberryhill (Star Member) - Thu Aug 23, 2012 (2:43 pm)
Reply to loyalsister (#44) - Post Count: 24,741
I think you may be right
I tend to read stuff I don't agree with, the challenge my opinions.
What's the point of reading something with which you already agree?
So, yes, the market for liberal books is liberals. The market for conservative books is conservatives and liberals.
The world is officially cockeyed with this one. Let's end it with these two...
51. liberal N proud (Moocher) - Thu Aug 23, 2012 (2:39 pm)
Reply to cali (Original post) - Post Count: 39,858
Conservatives thrive on the rhetoric and propaganda
Liberals rely on facts and the books that are being counted are not factual.
56. fleur-de-lisa (Star Member) - Thu Aug 23, 2012 (2:48 pm)
Reply to cali (Original post) - Post Count: 74
They have to be told what they think.
We think for ourselves.
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