I’ve
always recommended that authors refrain from discussing religion and politics
in their social media and branding. It has been my strong belief that in today’s
fiercely competitive book market, aligning ourselves one way or another on political
or religious issues can lead to lower sales, mainly because if a percentage of
the reading population disagrees with our views, they most likely won’t follow us
on social media and may decline to purchase our products.
But
the election of President Trump last November has changed the political
landscape in drastic ways. Where before, stating political views could have
consequences on sales, we now find ourselves with a growing majority who are
outraged at the current administration’s policies and its handling of
diplomacy. That outrage has sparked ongoing protests worldwide, where millions
of people have risen up to declare their dissent and willingness to resist the
current political climate in Washington.
Also
new is the growing power the resistance movement has found in ignoring Trump’s
brand. When major retail leaders dropped Ivanka Trump’s clothing and shoe lines
from their stores this week, those who do not support Trump stepped up their
support of the retailers, and sales soared.
Where
before the Trump presidency it was judicious to maintain distance and equanimity
with regard to politics, the climate has changed to such a degree that we’re
now finding that taking actions some view as political (as was the case with
the retailers who dumped Ivanka's brand) can actually be beneficial to sales.
Those retailers who dropped the line claimed they did so because the line wasn't selling. It was risky to drop a contentious and outspoken president’s daughter’s
brand – these retailers must have known that the president, who seems to have
little control over his responses to adverse situations, would react publicly (which
he did by tweeting his dismay at what he considered to be unfair treatment of
his daughter). But the stance by these retailers paid off in ways that many did
not expect – sales lowered initially and then skyrocketed when anti-Trump
Americans decided to show the retailers support for their decision by buying at
those stores.
So,
given that being political can now influence sales, what does this mean for
authors? And how do we in the publicity business advise our clients now that
there’s a new normal for how consumers react when sellers share their views? How
do those who feel strongly about the current administration express their views
without driving off potential customers? And is it even a problem any more to
lose those customers who don’t agree with our politics?
These
questions have surfaced strongly on social media, where friends, family,
colleagues, and customers converge and the new politics have created increasing
divides among them. Many of us have watched as followers on social media
threaten to unfollow us if we state our views, whatever they may be, too loudly
or frequently. Many have drawn hard lines to followers regarding opinions –
agree or be gone, they seem to say.
As
authors, when we lose followers, we lose business. Those who chose to follow
our blogs and support our brand do so because we offer them something – information,
entertainment, connectedness, or all three. If readers no longer follow us on
social media, will they still buy our books? My sense is no – as this
administration continues to divide America’s with its policies, I believe that
we’ll see a corresponding division in sales. Those who agree with us and our
views will support us and buy our books; those that don’t will boycott our
offers and/or ignore future releases.
For
some authors, this trade-off is worth it. Those that feel strongly about expressing
their political views may feel that protecting our country and its democracy
from what they see as an attempt to upend our basic freedoms is more important
than offending those potential or current readers who don’t agree that the new
administration is a threat to those rights.
For
me, it’s a difficult situation – wanting to support others who share my views
is strong, but so is maintaining distance from political rhetoric. There a
professionalism component to all of this – if I indulge myself in rants about
my political leanings, how am I serving those who read my blog posts and buy my
books? Do they come there to hear my politics? Yes and no. For some, finding out
that we’re on the same page politically is a good thing – my sense is that they
will become stronger supporters of me and my work because we think alike. For
others, the insertion of politics (and this goes for religion, too) into my branding
as an author and publicist could be seen as self-serving or offensive – and those
who disagree with me will not follow or buy.
Given
this new political paradigm where politics have become such an overwhelming factor
in our lives, I would suggest that it’s up to individual authors now as to
whether they decide to be political in their branding. As retailers like
Nordstrom and TJ Maxx discovered, political action can have benefits. But there
is also the reality that once you’ve identified your brand as leaning one way
or another, you can never go back – existing and new customers can see which
way you lean, and they will subsequently decide whether to support or shun you
and your products based on those leanings.
In
the end, we are in a strange new world where politics and consumerism are
colliding more than ever. As an author, being political may serve your social
activism, but it most likely will also have an effect on your book sales. Still,
many authors maintain that their brand is a reflection of who they are as individuals
and being true to that sense of self is crucial given what’s at stake in our
country’s politics. In today’s political climate, being true to ourselves and
our political beliefs may be worth more to us than growing our book sales and,
for now, that just might be okay.
