Just FYI, newspaper book reviewers may soon become an endangered species. That wouldn't have anything to do with the work of amateurs like us, would it?
Just FYI, newspaper book reviewers may soon become an endangered species. That wouldn't have anything to do with the work of amateurs like us, would it?
...subduedlol...
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Maybe if they hold their collective breath until those big bad mean newspapers restore them and their studied scribblings to their rightful place and deserved column inches . . .well ...that will show 'em..!!
Our local rag, The Des Moines Register has a long and storied history. They have been strong in the arts in the past.
As a long time subscriber and an infrequent reader (I know, there is a bit of a disconnect there...) I definitely think their 'book review coverage' has slipped as well. They will do a seasonal article or three ('ten great beach reads this summer..!') and that is about it. I would guess they do not have an assigned 'book reviewer' on staff.
Given the problems that print newspapers face these days I am sure it is just another symptom of dwindling circulation, dwindling readers, and dwindling revenue.
Seems only natural that the bajillion personal and corporate 'review' sites and blogs 'out here' would fill the vacuum and more.
What is driving this is all the folks 9including authors)who claim reviews don't matter and the consultants who think that newspaper readers want dumber papers so they kill reviews, opinion pieces and the like for how to arrange furniture artciles.
There is another faction involved here: newspaper readers. Going back to the mid-1980s when I started paying attention, when readers were surveyed about what was important to them in newspapers, book reviews usually ranked very low, lower than classified ads and even listings of lottery numbers. I think that readers of most newspapers look at reviews as a "bonus" and are happy when they are there but not distressed when they are not.
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in Books, Magazines & Newspapers