BAD NEWS FOR AUTHORS AND READERS

donroc · Jul 23, 2008

Evidence newspapers are dying a slow death?

LA Times to Fold Standalone Book Review

By Rachel Deahl -- Publishers Weekly, 7/21/2008 12:28:00 PM

According to a former staffer, the Los Angeles Times is folding its standalone Sunday book review section, laying off two dedicated book editors. The last standalone section will be the July 27 one. Steve Wasserman, a former editor of the Los Angeles Times Book Review, sent out an e-mail Monday morning, protesting the changes at the embattled Tribune-owned daily.
Nancy Sullivan, executive director of corporate communications at the paper, would not comment on staff cuts at the paper or that the book review coverage will be placed in the Calendar section of the paper where it will share space with features. She did say that more definitive news would be issued next week and added that the paper "remains committed to book review coverage. What form that takes is what’s under evaluation."
In his e-mail, co-signed by three other former Review editors, Wasserman said the elimination of the book review section will have an adverse effect on the paper, calling it a "philistine blunder that...will further wound the long-term fiscal health of the newspaper."
Despite the folding of the section, the longrunning Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is expected to continue, but Wasserman observed that without the Book Review itself, "the book festival will be a hollow joke." He urged readers and writers "to join with us as we protest this sad and backward step."

Shadow_Ferret · Jul 23, 2008

I can't remember the last time I read a newspaper review of a book. I find my sources on the 'net.

Personally, I don't find this very surprising, newspapers in general are losing circulation hand over fist. They just can't compete with 24 hour news medias.

Newspapers have been struggling with their own relevance for a few decades now.

CACTUSWENDY · Jul 23, 2008

The Arizona Republic is the newspaper for the Phoenix Metro area. They still have the book reviews, but.....

The rest of the paper, for a city that is the fifth largest in the USA, is such a joke. You might find the news between all the ads. The paper says it is losing money big time so they have to carry more ads. This is such a joke. The Sunday paper is still huge...but is all ads. I can understand why fewer and fewer people are taking it. The week day paper is something you would see in a small town, if fact, small town papers might be bigger and carry more news.

I don't know how much longer they will keep the book reviews. But if the major papers are not going to have them, you can bet this paper will stop also.

Just my two cents.

seun · Jul 23, 2008

If the death of the newspaper means the death of The Daily Mail and The Sun, then that's just dandy with me.

Cranky · Jul 23, 2008

seun said:
If the death of the newspaper means the death of The Daily Mail and The Sun, then that's just dandy with me.

No big. People and OK and Perez Hilton have already infected teh intrawebz. Six of one...

seun · Jul 23, 2008

Cranky said:
No big. People and OK and Perez Hilton have already infected teh intrawebz. Six of one...

True, but no more Mail means no more headlines such as:

WE HATE SINGLE MOTHERS/ANYONE WHO ISN'T WHITE/ANYONE UNDER 21

or

BRING BACK THE CANE

or

THEY MUST BE STOPPED: ANYONE ENJOYING THEIR LIFE

Cranky · Jul 23, 2008

LOL! You do have a point there. My bad. I concede.

donroc · Jul 23, 2008

CACTUSWENDY said:
The Arizona Republic is the newspaper for the Phoenix Metro area. They still have the book reviews, but.....

The rest of the paper, for a city that is the fifth largest in the USA, is such a joke. You might find the news between all the ads. The paper says it is losing money big time so they have to carry more ads. This is such a joke. The Sunday paper is still huge...but is all ads. I can understand why fewer and fewer people are taking it. The week day paper is something you would see in a small town, if fact, small town papers might be bigger and carry more news.

I don't know how much longer they will keep the book reviews. But if the major papers are not going to have them, you can bet this paper will stop also.

Just my two cents.

Interesting -- my local paper, The Polk County Ledger "borrows" the Republic's book reviews on Sundays and also from other newspapers. They use Ebert's movie reviews too.

I have tried an end run and asked them to do a feature article on local resident me to appear when my book comes out in September.

The editor is considering it only because I am not self published. Fingers crossed. I have made the same request at several other newspapers in communities where I have taught and resided.

I shall seek mention in the gossip column at one newspaper because the joke is the subscribers never read book reviews but they love gossip.

What a world!

SPMiller · Jul 23, 2008

I'm really trying to resist posting a snarky comment about the quality of most newspaper book reviews, even (especially?) those published under the NYT banner. Resisting, resisting...

Diana W. · Jul 23, 2008

SPMiller said:
I'm really trying to resist posting a snarky comment about the quality of most newspaper book reviews, even (especially?) those published under the NYT banner. Resisting, resisting...

...Resistance is futile

maestrowork · Jul 23, 2008

The local papers have already gotten rid of their book and book reviews. They take stories from AP and reprint them in the papers. Local columnists and reviewers are slowly becoming a thing of the past. The future is on the Web. Writing for Rotten Tomatoes now has more visibility than a local paper.

Cato · Jul 23, 2008

Doesn't surprise me at all. The internet is where it's at. It's replaced print media and is on the verge of replacing video and audio media. If people didn't see this coming then they need a reality check.

KTC · Jul 23, 2008

The only reason I buy papers is to read the book reviews and entertainment sections. They will always be around. They're not all going to fold. I love reading book sections, and I'm sure others do too.

Willowmound · Jul 23, 2008

seun said:
If the death of the newspaper...

Newspapers aren't dying. Their paper version are. Paper is just the medium. The actual newspaper is the content. You can find it now in the internet.

dolores haze · Jul 23, 2008

SPMiller said:
I'm really trying to resist posting a snarky comment about the quality of most newspaper book reviews, even (especially?) those published under the NYT banner. Resisting, resisting...

Really? The first thing I grab out of the Sunday NY Times is the book review. I'm useless on a Sunday until I've read it cover to cover.

Clair Dickson · Jul 23, 2008

I don't read the book reviews... even the movie reviews can be dodgy. In the paper I get (one from Metro Detroit since the local one is about what you'd expect from a mostly rural county... moooooo) there's one movie reviewer who I like. His reviews are funny and his opinions often jive with my take and he doesn't seem as afraid to give 1 and 2 star ratings as the other reviewer is (who I don't think gives much less than 3 stars.)

I usually read books recommended to me by folks I half-know online, usually based on a theme or request at the time.

And if newspapers keep hacking the comics section (especially taking out any of the comics that are dark or snarky!) then I'm sure plenty of young folk like me won't bother getting the paper delivered anymore. My paper keeps showing me that only "safe" and "warm fuzzy" comics are prefered... so a whole demographic, which usually includes the young, is going to have one less reason to get the paper. Add to that the headlines are already on line, news is rarely local anymore, and, yeah, the paper is going to be a thing of the past.

Which is disappointing, because I like reading my virgin words in the morning-- starting with the comics. (Don't pounce on me, I do read the front page. But too much bad news in the morning doesn't make for good breakfast... and that's all Detrtoit papers have to offer.)

bpmann · Jul 23, 2008

Clair Dickson said:
...since the local one is about what you'd expect from a mostly rural county... moooooo)

Cit Pat?

Shweta · Jul 23, 2008

Moved to the roundtable. This has nothing to do with novels in particular.

Danger Jane · Jul 23, 2008

I don't typically look at one reviewer to see what's up, anyway. I'm a product of the information age, and if I can only find one review of a movie, it must not be that great, no matter what the reviewer says.

(Until I'm proven wrong, of course.)

I get my mail from clicking around the news articles posted on AW, usually, and most times I end up reading a few more articles from the news source, too. If something really catches my interest, I'll google it to balance out my perspective.

But the Daily Mail...that's a problem that must be stopped. And I only know it from the website.

TerzaRima · Jul 23, 2008

I'm really trying to resist posting a snarky comment about the quality of most newspaper book reviews, even (especially?) those published under the NYT banner.

The quality, or the CANONICAL SMUGNESS: WE HAZ IT tone? Don't resist, and be specific.

BenPanced · Jul 23, 2008

seun said:
True, but no more Mail means no more headlines such as:

WE HATE SINGLE MOTHERS/ANYONE WHO ISN'T WHITE/ANYONE UNDER 21

or

BRING BACK THE CANE

or

THEY MUST BE STOPPED: ANYONE ENJOYING THEIR LIFE

INNIT HORRIBLE HOW GAY ELTON JOHN AND GEORGE MICHAEL ARE? (Five more stories about them and their wacky antics beginning on p. 17!)

Danger Jane · Jul 23, 2008

BenPanced said:
INNIT HORRIBLE HOW GAY ELTON JOHN AND GEORGE MICHAEL ARE? (Five more stories about them and their wacky antics beginning on p. 17!)

Daily Mail use the phrase "wacky antics"? I think I might have to strike it from my vocabulary. Ye gods!

blacbird · Jul 23, 2008

seun said:
If the death of the newspaper means the death of The Daily Mail and The Sun, then that's just dandy with me.

Ah, but no, my son. It doesn't work that way. Cockroaches will outlast humans by many many millions of years.

caw

seun · Jul 24, 2008

blacbird said:
Ah, but no, my son. It doesn't work that way. Cockroaches will outlast humans by many many millions of years.

caw

Too true.

One of my favourite Mail moments came from their reaction to the Brass Eye paedophile special.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brass_Eye

MelancholyMan · Jul 24, 2008

Shadow_Ferret said:
I can't remember the last time I read a newspaper review of a book. I find my sources on the 'net.

Personally, I don't find this very surprising, newspapers in general are losing circulation hand over fist. They just can't compete with 24 hour news medias.

Newspapers have been struggling with their own relevance for a few decades now.

I can't remember the last time I read a newspaper!

-MM

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