Last November, as Random House's Prima division was reaping the unexpected rewards of a bestselling biography of Osama bin Laden, editorial and publishing director Alice Feinstein talked about expansion. "We're going to take a serious look at growing Forum," she said, referring to the imprint that, with its conservative political titles, has always seemed a little out-of-place among the company's gaming and lifestyle titles. But nearly a year later, the Roseville, Calif., company has indeed expanded the number of titles, not to mention expectations for publicity and sales.
Bin Laden author Yossef Bodansky, who has a new book out this fall, might be the most instructive example of Prima's new publishing approach. Rather than waiting for events to catch up, Forum has been much more ambitious in trying to make the book relevant. Shortly after last year's attacks, Bodansky and his editor decided to refocus his new book, from its mostly Israel-centric themes to larger issues of power dynamics in the Middle East as well as Iraq. Forum even changed the title, from The Seduction of Israel to The High Cost of Peace: How Washington's Middle East Policy Left America Vulnerable to Terrorism. Publicity has also become a bigger priority: for the new Bodansky title, Prima has budgeted money for a national advertising campaign, a rarity for a Forum title, and even hired an outside publicity firm, the Washington, D.C., outfit Shirley & Banister.
While politics have faded somewhat from the public's radar since the war in Afghanistan, residual patriotism and a possible invasion of Iraq has emboldened Forum's conservative mission. Among the most anticipated titles of the fall for Prima is The New Thought Police, a paperback by Tammy Bruce, "a self-described gun-toting lesbian feminist who believes the left has constrained speech."
Feinstein, whose background lies in lifestyle publishing, said she is not deluding herself about the mass appeal of political books. But she also feels publishers are overlooking easy opportunities. "Conservative news sources are huge. News sites are getting huge and, of course, conservative radio is already very big." Pointing to Ann Coulter's Slander, she said New York publishing is picking up on the conservative trend, but not fast enough that an upstart from the West Coast can't compete. "I'm sure they [New York houses] are all looking more seriously at proposals of those books that cross their desks," Feinstein said. "We're just going to continue doing the books we've always done."
