Now that PW has started listing their previously anonymous book reviewers as contributors on the masthead, the Observer looked at the first list of “80-something names” and Googled a number of the names. “Who are these individuals? Enthusiasts, mainly. Schoolteachers, professors, stay-at-home moms, authors. It takes all kinds. We looked a handful of them up on Google, corresponded with a couple, and came up with some crude bios. Here’s an assortment.”Observer
Reviews
Zell Aide on Book Pages
“Heard a conversation about how Book reporting doesn’t generate revenue and may have to go away. WAIT! Maybe Book reviews and coverage are one of those things that don’t generate revenue right now, BUT–are trademarks for newspapers and elicit high passion from readers. At XM, we had Opera channels. Low listenership…HIGH passion…AND–it was one of those things that even if people didn’t listen or even like Opera, it was one of those things you had to have for completeness. Maybe Book sections in newspapers are just dated. Not the idea…but the look and feel. Maybe they’re modeled after a book […]
Review Cuts at Cleveland Plain Dealer
Book editor Karen Long notes that her Sunday book section has been cut by 25 percent: “The pages are being cut to one and one-half. Nobody following the news biz can pretend to be surprised, but all of us can be sad, just the same. She emphasizes that “a reduction of 25 percent still allows us a passing grade, especially if we spend the real estate we do have more wisely. That means that shorter reviews gain a new currency, especially the brand of substance and succinctness practiced by, for example, Dave Walton and Michele Ross.” NBCC blog