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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/25754
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/25754
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

There seem to be three different parts to this question:

1. Does the author's public reputation affect the sales of books?

2. Do the view expressed in a book affect the sales of the book?

3. Do the private views of an author who is not otherwise a public figure affect the sales of books if they become know?

The answer to the first is clearly yes. Public notoriety is good for sales. Hatred is not an author's biggest enemy, indifference is. If you are hated by some and loved by others you will sell a lot of books to those who love you, and quite a few to those who hate you. You won't sell any to those who are indifferent to you.

The answer to the second is more complex. Steinbeck was roundly condemned for the socialist overtones of The Grape of Wrath, but it was a huge best seller, largely because of the huge emotional power of the story. Even if you don't agree with his politics, you will have a hard time not being moved by the novel. And the novel is not a political screed. Many of Dickens works were full of social protest, but they are still beloved for the characters and storytelling long after the injustices they protested were gone. A great book, in other words, can rise above its politics and be beloved by friends and foes alike.

But for people who are lesser artists, or whose work is more overtly political, you can expect that few who disagree with you will read you.

The third case is obviously more rare, but there are cases in which it becomes known that a beloved author had unfashionable political views. It is not clear to me that this really as much effect. Most people are not really moved to punish people merely for holding a different view from their own, though you would have a hard time telling it from the TV some days. I suspect that when these stories pop up from time to time, they probably do the author more good than harm, simply by reminding people that they exist.

Overall though, I think any concern about offending the reader is probably misplaced, unless you are so far out on a limb that your views will offend everyone. Ask Donald Trump how much he cared about offending the professional offence takes of the world. You don't need to win over the entire world. If 5% of the reading public buys your book, you will be very rich. Offending 95% of the reading public is a small price to pay if it means that 5% actually hear your name.

Original score: 2