Party Favors: Conservative Bestsellers Run Long on Celebrity But Short on Ideas (Ideas) (Essay‪)‬

Even in lean economic times, conservative books are a booming business. Once right-wing publishing was the province of profitless true believers. Now conservative imprints are ensconced in most of New York's major publishing houses. The liberals who dominate the scene hold their noses while their hired-hand conservatives bid big dollars for contracts with the Right's marquee names. On one level, it is tempting to greet the rise of the conservative bestseller with elation. Our long exile from the world of letters has ended. We're on the New York Times bestseller list. We have arrived. But where?