Full and fair disclosure, I absolutely love Michael Savage. Vintage Savage - his intro warns listeners that the show contains 'psychological nudity.' I remember when I first started listening several years ago and my children (young at the time) were in the car with me and asked how a radio show could have nudity. They are all young adults now, but we still bring that story up for a laugh at family gatherings.

I have had my fill of talk show hosts that are no more than PR operatives for the Republican Party. You also have to admire the fact that his views are considered so dangerous that he has been banned from the United Kingdom. I have become completely convinced in recent years that the whole Democrat-Republican thing is just as staged as professional wrestling. These guys are quietly whispering to each other, "make this look good for C-Span" as they engage in their faux smack-downs on Capitol Hill. Savage is the only guy pointing out that they are almost all sell-outs, concerned more about their own re-election than representing the people.

Michael Savage The Author

Savage has been lamenting on his show in recent days that listeners are unable to find his new book in local bookstores. He has also been upset about not making it to the New York Times and other bestseller lists this first week. The latest book, Countdown To Mecca, has an overall sales rank of 1,078 on Amazon (as of this afternoon). I don't want to claim a conspiracy, but with the millions that listen to Savage, this poor of a sales rank is a bit hard to believe (meaning 1,077 books are ahead of Countdown To Mecca in sales the week of its debut). I have not read the book, but I am sure it registers very high on the politically incorrect scale (the likely reason it seems to have been pushed aside by industry insiders).

New York Times Bestsellers List

In my view, the various bestsellers lists are obsolete. In fact, if you do fifteen minutes of research into how these lists are compiled, you will quickly learn that they are mostly rigged. There are so many ways to game the system, that there are consulting firms that claim they can guarantee your inclusion on one of these lists for a fee. As an author of more than thirty books myself, I give no credence to these lists anymore. 

How Savage Can Start A Revolution In The Publishing Industry

I am convinced that Savage has more listeners than any other radio talk show host in America today. Just as the bestseller lists are rigged, so are radio ratings for the most part. Savage's show is consistently number one on Talkstream Live and other Internet radio platforms. In my view, this is a more accurate poll of the people than relying on third party rating services. 

My advice to Savage is to take your book marketing directly to your listeners. Forget about the bookstores and the bestseller lists. Amazon has a referral system called Amazon Associates. Individuals can join for free and earn a percentage every time someone clicks on their link and purchases something on the site. Savage could easily assemble an army of 50,000 or more supporters that could be promoting his book online and getting paid to do so. Even if they did nothing more than post links on their personal Facebook pages, the results would be breathtaking. For those interested in learning more, here is another article on how Amazon Associates works.

The wave of book sales this would create could not be ignored by Amazon, The New York Times, or anyone else for that matter. What's more, every sale referred by a Savage listener to Amazon would trigger a referral bonus to them. A more evil plot than even Simon Bar Sinister could hatch... 

The Magic 24 Hour Amazon Cookie

One overlooked part of the Amazon Associates program is the 24 hour cookie (a small file that your browser stores when you visit their website). After clicking on an Amazon referral link, anything purchased by that customer (on Amazon) for the following 24 hours also activates additional referral bonuses. This means that Savage's followers would not just cash in with earnings promoting his latest book, but also on any other incidental Amazon purchases made.

Unconventional Is Synonomous With Michael Savage

An open letter to Michael Savage -

Dear Dr. Savage,

Like it or not, you will never be the belle of the ball. In fact, if you were, most of us would no longer listen. You are hated by the left and the right, and there is no space for you on the bookshelves of America's dwindling bookstores. Even though you are America's top rated talk show host, you have been ostensibly banned by the good old boys. Now is your chance to turn the publishing industry on its head, just as you have done with radio. There is no pat on the back coming from the country club boys for your latest tome, so don't bother waiting for that. Take your marketing directly to the people. You have more than a JV army waiting to back you.

  James L. Paris 
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com
Jim Paris 24 Hour Radio