Glad to see that you're willing to pay for reviews. It's remarkable how many are not, or don't think a good review takes a lot of time to write.
The destruction of book reviews really hits the middle market, i.e. not the super star authors or the ones just starting out. In science publishing books are a really tough gig. The average advance is $5K if you're lucky, and as a friend once said, you really only start earning around $15K per year from royalties when you have a backlog of 5 books already in print. He told me that 30 years ago and I suspect it's even worse today.
If I didn't have the New York Review of Books and the Financial Times (which has a great Saturday review section), not sure where I would find out about books.
Your recommendation of books as an antidote to the scourge of social media and doomscrolling is spot on. We do need books. They are one of the essential tools—the main tool—I have to try to limit my time wasted online.
Count me in. The thing a supplement like this provides isn't even mainly about whether a review is positive or negative—it's that someone curated it and can help qualify it for other readers, which is something algorithms genuinely cannot do. They can serve you more of what you already like, but they can't hand you something unexpected the way a human can. That's the same thing in-person bookstores do that online ones can't. I have no interest in browsing virtual shelves, but I'll happily nose around the staff picks at Alienated Majesty in Austin for an hour. A book supplement run by readers is the written version of that.
This is a brilliant idea. It makes me sad, in a way, that we are having to rebuild what has been decimated. (I have had conversations with artists about starting physical newsletters centered on art.) That being said, I am glad this is something you are interested in doing. If you’re keeping a list, please add my name to help in whatever way I can. Whether it’s reviewing books or helping format/create the supplement!
Yes, I'm all in with this. I'm already a subscriber and will continue, of course. I'm dealing with big cuts with the arts publications I write for (Observer, etc.), so I'll be looking for more writing gigs myself. Count me in.
All of this is so disheartening. This last month has been chilling for me.
I’ve been debating whether to upgrade to a paid subscription and this book supplement finally clinched the deal for me. I hope you can make it happen. We need more people thoughtfully reviewing book on places with a large platform.
Glad to see that you're willing to pay for reviews. It's remarkable how many are not, or don't think a good review takes a lot of time to write.
The destruction of book reviews really hits the middle market, i.e. not the super star authors or the ones just starting out. In science publishing books are a really tough gig. The average advance is $5K if you're lucky, and as a friend once said, you really only start earning around $15K per year from royalties when you have a backlog of 5 books already in print. He told me that 30 years ago and I suspect it's even worse today.
If I didn't have the New York Review of Books and the Financial Times (which has a great Saturday review section), not sure where I would find out about books.
Thanks Paul, and yes, I will not on principle publish any unpaid reviews.
Your recommendation of books as an antidote to the scourge of social media and doomscrolling is spot on. We do need books. They are one of the essential tools—the main tool—I have to try to limit my time wasted online.
Amen, and thank you for subscribing.
Count me in. The thing a supplement like this provides isn't even mainly about whether a review is positive or negative—it's that someone curated it and can help qualify it for other readers, which is something algorithms genuinely cannot do. They can serve you more of what you already like, but they can't hand you something unexpected the way a human can. That's the same thing in-person bookstores do that online ones can't. I have no interest in browsing virtual shelves, but I'll happily nose around the staff picks at Alienated Majesty in Austin for an hour. A book supplement run by readers is the written version of that.
Thank you Stephen! And I completely agree. Algorithmic suggestions are so soulless.
This is a brilliant idea. It makes me sad, in a way, that we are having to rebuild what has been decimated. (I have had conversations with artists about starting physical newsletters centered on art.) That being said, I am glad this is something you are interested in doing. If you’re keeping a list, please add my name to help in whatever way I can. Whether it’s reviewing books or helping format/create the supplement!
Thank you!
Yes, I'm all in with this. I'm already a subscriber and will continue, of course. I'm dealing with big cuts with the arts publications I write for (Observer, etc.), so I'll be looking for more writing gigs myself. Count me in.
All of this is so disheartening. This last month has been chilling for me.
I'm by your side.
Thank you Dian. Truly. And this is good to know.
I’ve been debating whether to upgrade to a paid subscription and this book supplement finally clinched the deal for me. I hope you can make it happen. We need more people thoughtfully reviewing book on places with a large platform.
The pink section! My best friend had a punk band in the 80's that went by that name and only people who lived in SF got the reference
omgosh, I love that. I miss the days of a nice fat SF chron pink section on a Sunday,
Great post Summer.
Thank you!