With the 2004 presidential election resolved more quickly than four years ago—and sooner than many had expected—authors and publishers who worried about a media bottleneck are breathing a little easier.

Many of the season's biggest books, such as those by Martin Cruz Smith and by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus (authors of the Nanny Diaries), Tom Wolfe and Janet Evanovich, are likely to have fewer concerns about garnering air time.

No longer worried about preempted media appearances or having their books overwhelmed by recount distractions, many in the industry have turned their attention to the future of political books. Some experts predict a postelection lull. "No matter what side you're on, I think people just want a little escape right now," said Gene Taft, assistant publisher at Public Affairs.

But others said that even without an election to sway, those on the left side of the political fence didn't expect a change. "I want to know how the hell this came to pass," said Thunder's Mouth/Nation Books publisher John Oakes, who said he imagined a readership asking similar questions. "As a publisher, I see people who are baffled and people who are angry; I don't get the idea they're going to lapse into acceptance or a coma." Indeed, Amazon's Top 10 last week included five political books.

One house already planning an instant book is Villard, which will bring out TheBush Survival Bible this week. According to Villard, the book's "main message is a serious one."

Another title suddenly in the limelight was What's the Matter with Kansas? (Holt/Metropolitan), Baffler founder Thomas Frank's microcosmic look at his home state. The title dissects the successful peddling of cultural conservatism to Midwestern states and places that were once Democratic. Already a two-month New YorkTimes bestseller, the book got an added boost from columnist Nicholas Kristof in a New York Times column the day after the election (he called it the best political book of the year). Holt's Maggie Richards said there are 150,000 copies of What's the Matter in print.

Other books that could see short-term benefit from the election are linguist George Lakoff's Don't Think of an Elephant, on the crafting of Republican strategy, from New England publisher Chelsea Green. The title hit number 6 on Amazon last week and has landed on the New York Times list as a How-To/Advice Book—which the publisher said is a misclassification. Though the house protested when the Times's decision first came to light, publisher Margo Baldwin has decided to accept the designation: "We've decided to make it the number-one how-to book of the year, as in 'How to Take Our Country Back.' "

And on the right, Regnery president Marji Ross said that despite the benefits of being in the opposition, her house's position was a good one. "The election results are encouraging to me as conservative publisher. Turnout was so great" she said, which means "there's a strong interest in the future of our country"—and thus, political books of all types.