NPR Notices Something’s Up with Book Reviews

I’d feel guilty about taking nearly a week to write a post about the Morning Edition report on the so-called book review crisis, except that the story is built around a panel at BookExpo America that took place over a month and a half ago, with little to add about what’s happened in the intervening month and a half. Also, the idea that the NBCC’s plan to inaugurate an award for the best book review section in print or online publications is an example of, in the words of NPR correspondent Nartha Woodruff, its “considerable industry clout” gave me a giggle fit. It’s as if she never thought to ask herself: If the Circle is so powerful, wherefore this job-losing panic?

Also, I was mildly amused that Buzz Girl was included in the literary blog category along with sites like Bookslut and Book/Daddy. Even BG herself seemed surprised by the label, since her weekly dispatches aren’t book reviews, but efficient check-ins with high-ranking publicists about which books their houses are going to be throwing the most weight behind in the months ahead.

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