The Ugly Truth: Publishing Is Not a Meritocracy

We would like to believe that the truth inevitably surfaces and draws people to it--that truth remains universal and recognized by all, and so a book that speaks such universal truths will inevitably garner the attention of the marketplace and no doubt become a phenomenon.

This scenario remains inaccurate and just plain wrong.

No universal mechanism exists whereby a book comes into being and becomes popular based on the merits of the arguments it posits. People tend to believe the merit argument because books are noble and intellectual and all that sort of thing and so operate on a higher level of cerebral awareness, supposedly. Well, that's rubbish. Books are products and no different from cans of soup, and Campbell's--clearly not the best-quality soup--outsells better brands because it can promote and sell itself. Books are no different.