[See my comments at the end of this post.
April 26, 2022 (New York, NY) – New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author Don Winslow announced this weekend on CBS Saturday Morning with Jeff Glor that he has decided to give up writing, after decades in the publishing world and multiple seven-figure Hollywood deals, in order to launch a digital army and direct his energy full-time to his other passion: politics. The news, which trended on Twitter, comes on the eve of the release of Winslow’s latest novel, City On Fire, which is set to hit shelves from publisher HarperCollins today.
“It’s time to do something else,” Winslow stated. “I want to continue on speaking out where I see what I think is wrong. It’s a big deal. It’s not a decision I made easily. Democrats have better ideas, better candidates, and a better vision for tomorrow. What they don’t have is better messaging and I’m going to try and change that. I will be paying for everything myself and not accepting any donations.”
Winslow, who’s written twenty-two novels, including The Border, The Force, The Kings of Cool, Savages, The Winter of Frankie Machine, The Power of the Dog and The Cartel, has amassed a formidable Twitter following (nearly 850K followers) on the heels of the 2020 election, with fans that include politicians and media elite such as Mary Trump and CNN’s Jake Tapper. In the past few years, he has taken a very public, no-holds-barred stance on President Donald Trump, his allies and his constituents.
After five consecutive New York Times bestsellers and three New York Times Best Book of the Year honors, Winslow plans to make his crusade against the Right his full-time job going forward, with both the 2022 midterms and 2024 general election on the horizon. His efforts will include continuing production on his viral videos which have taken the country – and world at large – by storm. Having collaborated with the likes of rock legend Bruce Springsteen and acclaimed actor Jeff Daniels, Winslow’s films recently surpassed an impressive 250 million views, oftentimes exceeding the views of official campaign videos or those of The Lincoln Project. His endeavor with Springsteen, #AmericaNeedsPennsylvania, received 10 million views. A recent video of his on the January 6th insurrection, #AnatomyOfCapitolAttack, received 14 million views.
George Easter’s Take: It is a sad day, but there is some light at the end of the tunnel. CITY ON FIRE, which come out this month, was reported to be the first of a trilogy. I have it from a good source who got it from Don Winslow himself, that the other two novels in the trilogy have already been written so we can expect them in the next couple of years.