How to Solve Publishing's Oversaturated Market

It has just occurred to me: Publishers are ostensibly in the game to make money, but increasingly they seem to be propelled by less than economic motives.

I remember when my first major book came out, Project Seek: Onassis, Kennedy and the Gemstone Thesis,in 1994. It took years just to get the first run sold, and it still is a hard sell despite being an outstanding book in its field -- perhaps the best-ever written on the Gemstone File conspiracy theory.

Yet, that's the way of many good books. They get lost in the flurry. It's kind of strange that Sen. Ted Kennedy will appear on "The Daily Show" as he did (April 20), plugging his book which was released in 2004.

But the reason Kennedy is out there now is that his book did not sell in 2004 because Bush was swept back into power. Now that Bush has been proven to be a fraud, it's time for Kennedy to make his move again and for his publishing company to bankroll another book tour.

It's all timing, brother. All timing.

So keep those blogs coming. Someday your blog collection will be combined into an excellent, readable essay collection that will be published and be a super best-seller.

Not!