''Off the record. I have corresponded with op-ed editors for years and have been published there a number of times. There is nothing dishonest about preferring authors of recently-published books. THAT IS HOW THE OPED UNIT OPERATES THERE. Everything is COMMISSIONED. GET OVER IT!~
I myself benefited from this policy when
The appearance of the new book is itself a "news peg" that has become much more necessary over the years for the NY Times and other media -- that's a subject in itself.
The author of a new book presumably knows the sources thoroughly and needs less editorial attention and fewer corrections.
The op-ed also nicely'piggybacks'' in a synergistic way with the book publisher's marketing and PR campaign, such as it is now, ***leading to more web traffic than an op-ed without a book link typically gets. [*** AH WEB TRAFFIC! EYEBALLS! EVEN THE NYT PLAYS THIS GAME NOW?]
Of course writers without new books published by major imprints receive less space because of this policy, but it also simplifies NYT editors' work.
Remember that e-mail and the passion of millions of individuals, not to mention the campaigns of interest groups, floods the NYT Times in-box every day. So this inhouse Times policy makes it easier for the
oped page to operate. They cannot say this out loud, but it's the truth. All oped pieces are commissioned by the editors first. Ask anyone who has ever published an oped there. It's a confidence game.
So the NYT Times op-ed page is a ''scam''only if reality itself is a ''scam'', which technically is incorrect. It's a confidence game.''