Its still such an annoying mechanic though. But oh well...You still get the promotion if you suggest the two quality books as well as the other that will sell well. A publisher wants you to identify the ones that have potential to sell well. That's books 2 & 4. Books 3 & 4 are also well-written and could bring prestige to the publishing house. If recommending book 3 tanked the promotion, even when you recommended the other two that would sell well, I'd agree with you. But at that point you're being a bit of a snob.
How you know this is by paying attention to the world in the game.