"Culture Is Upstream From Politics" Dept: An Offer. (UPDATED)

The title is a sentiment often expressed by the late, great Andrew Breitbart. It's been echoed recently by a large number of DextroSpheric commentators, which suggests that Breitbart hit on an important truth that hasn't received adequate follow-up.

What's that, you say? "Follow-up?" Isn't that someone else's job? Someone with money, or a big publishing house, or at least a few 70mm movie cameras?

No, fellow freedom lovers. It's our job. Yours and mine.

And I've decided to take it seriously.

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There's a large independent-writers-and-artists movement in progress, made possible by the World Wide Web and a few visionary entrepreneurs. The composition of that movement reflects the American public generally, at least as regards political inclinations. The balance is pretty close to the tallies from the most recent elections. For example, you'll see as many pro-Christian writers and works as anti-Christian ones; as many pro-life sentiments as pro-abortion ones; as many pro-freedom stances as pro-socialism ones.

There's a lot of crap in the indie movement, of course. These days, any thumb-fingered illiterate with a word processor can style himself a novelist; here's a particularly egregious example. But there's a lot of crap coming out of the conventional publishing houses, too -- and because of their editorial alignments, 90% or more of their offerings promote anti-freedom positions, whether overtly or covertly. The balance in the indie movement is much truer to the inclinations of the general populace. More, a lot of the crap is no crappier. It's less expensive on average, too.

Some of the stuff in the indie-writers stream is both quite entertaining and oriented toward wholesome, pro-freedom themes. Here's an example from someone whose name you might recognize. And here's a truly brilliant thriller from someone you might not have heard of before this. If you've been craving good fiction and have had trouble finding books that don't offend you politically or morally, those are two for your nightstand.

I submit to you that getting books of that sort read by a wider audience would be a constructive direction for our efforts. The more people read them and find them appealing, the more people will be moved toward the Right kind of premises and political alignment.

The question, as always, is how to make it so.

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Readers generally choose their reading matter according to a small number of influences:

1. Recommendations from friends.
2. Prior acquaintance with the author's work.
3. Really, really eye-catching cover art.
4. Perceptible similarities to other books they've enjoyed.
5. Favorable reviews from persons whose judgment they trust.

We of the DextroSphere can't do much about items 1 through 4, but we can help with item 5...if we have the time, the inclination, and the cooperation of indie writers of a pro-freedom, pro-life, pro-Christian, and pro-American bent.

Accordingly, I hereby make the following offer to such writers:

If you believe you qualify
As regards storytelling skills and moral-political values,
Send me a free copy of your book,
Preferably in .EPUB format,
And if I concur with your self-assessment,
I will review it and promote it here.

Moreover, I exhort any Gentle Reader who runs an op-ed Website like this one -- or who participates in Internet radio -- to do the same. The more of us there are touting wholesome fiction, the more of it will be read -- and written.

Sound good to you?

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Breitbart was right. Our politics has turned leftward in large measure because our culture has done so. Anti-freedom, anti-capitalist, anti-Christian and anti-American messages pour ceaselessly out of the major publishing houses, Hollywood, the television networks, and the companies that promote contemporary "music." If that force isn't countered, it will continue to have its way with us. But apart from a few brave souls, such as the ones behind Declaration Entertainment, few have picked up the gauntlet.

It's our job.
We who already vent onto the Web.
We can have substantial influence over the culture.
That will morph into political influence.
But not if we sit here idle.

Let's get to work.

UPDATE: For the slow-of-comprehension in the audience:

• I didn't say "Send me to Amazon to purchase your book." (4 people have done that.)
• I didn't say "Send me to some Website I'll have to register for and log into to download a PDF file of your book." (2 people have done that.)
• I did say "Send me a free copy. Preferably in .EPUB format."

Moreover, don't send me a first draft. I'm not interested in subjecting myself to your typos. Send me your final, ready-for-publication work.

If you can't grasp that and abide by it, you'll get no consideration.

Is that clear now?