Hillsdale Professor cited in best-selling empty book

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Hillsdale Professor cited in best-selling empty book
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Few authors can claim the distinct honor of having sold more copies than there are words in their book, but after publishing the 1,235 words and the 300 mostly-blank pages of “Reasons to Vote for Democrats: A Comprehensive Guide,” Michael J. Knowles is one of them.

With well over 80 thousand copies sold since it was published on Feb. 8, the empty book remained the best-selling work of literature on Amazon for more than four consecutive days in March.

Knowles, a Daily Wire employee and Yale graduate, said he paid nothing to publish the book, which he divided into 10 chapters with titles such as “Economics,” “Values,” and “Civil Rights,”– each completely devoid of words.

A front-cover blurb from Daily Wire editor-in-chief Ben Shapiro reads, “Thorough.”

“It will be hard to match this effort-reward ratio in any future books, but I’ll give it a try,” Knowles said.

Despite the book’s light-hearted presentation, Knowles said his bibliography is no joke, referencing more than 60 sources from Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals” to Margaret Sanger’s “Women and the New Race.”

“After you read the thousands of pages referenced in the bibliography, I don’t think the reader has any choice but to accept the book’s thesis: that there are no reasons to vote for Democrats,” Knowles said.

For better or worse, Hillsdale College left its own mark on the book. Hidden on the second page of the bibliography Knowles levels against the Left is “Woodrow Wilson and the Roots of Modern Liberalism,” written by Hillsdale’s own Professor of Politics Ron Pestritto.

“I think the book would make a great gift for anyone’s liberal friends,” Pestritto said.

Despite the book’s success, it was snubbed from the New York Time’s bestsellers list, an oversight which Knowles said the Times declined to explain.

This is not the only difficulty Knowles’ book has faced, however, as Amazon briefly took down the book from its website.

“I’m not making any allegations,” Knowles said. “But Amazon took it down just minutes after I was interviewed about it on ‘Fox & Friends.’”

Knowles said the book was again made available for purchase after he called Amazon and mentioned complaining to the press.

Amazon users have given “Reasons to Vote For Democrats” 4.7 stars, with many of the written reviews capitalizing on the book’s levity.

“Absolutely riveting,” one five-star reviewer said. “Knowles clearly put in some serious leg work and every page will leave you begging for more.”

Another wrote, “I can’t wait for its release on audio!”