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Left of the dial

Jennifer Nix, editor-at-large at American indie press Chelsea Green Publishing, takes a shot at a number of bestselling leftist authors who publish their books with the very media conglomerates they attack in their work. The editorial appears on the AlterNet site and begins with a challenge to such authors as Michael Moore and Al Franken: “How about putting your money and ideas where your mouths are? Why not work with independent book publishers to share with the public your thoughts about progressive politics, social justice, sustainability and media reform … instead of lining the pockets of the corporate publishers (and ultimately the five or ten rich white men who control nearly every media message we read and hear in the U.S. today).” Nix then goes on to explain how Chelsea Green recently published well-known progressive author George Lakoff’s Don’t Think of an Elephant! and managed to help put the book on The New York Times bestseller list, in spite of the house’s small advertising and promotion budget. How did they do it? “We published a book about new, progressive ideals,” Nix writes, “and rather than going the traditional and lengthy turn-your-hair-gray publishing route (calling on galleys, sales reps, early reviews, and ads), we went directly to progressives to get Lakoff’s book out into the world.” This process involved, among other things, partnering with progressive media outlets to get the word out about the book.

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Read Jennifer Nix’s piece on AlterNet

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