I'm glad that S&S is getting sales, which will no doubt subsidize other, worthy books. But these figures--and Bolton's sales figures--are sort of a depressing stand in for most of book culture under Trump. https://twitter.com/oliverdarcy/status/1283754268558794755

It's increasingly difficult for books about anything other than Trump and the right to break through. I have faint hopes that if Biden wins in November, a larger space for other subjects will open up again.

One good thing in the last four years has been that more readers are open to seeing the political implications of works of art. A bad thing has been that works of art just aren't discussed that much at all any more!

Having worked in criticism, mostly book reviewing, for 10 years, seeing the way that whole parts of ecosystem have just collapsed since the last election is quietly devastating, and no one really talks about it.