Frank Wilson, the book review editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer and one of the few truly wired book editors was driving home from a Elmore Leonard/ Chuck Palahniuk doubleheader at the library last night when he was struck by this musing on the Palahniuk reading:
“I kept thinking on the way home how newspapers are desperate to attract younger readers, but haven’t a clue as to how popular this guy is with just the people they’re looking for. Never have I had a greater sense of just how out of touch newspapers have become.”
300 people showed up for Leonard and an estimated 900 packed the house for Palahniuk. That’s 900 active readers, most under the age of 35. And not only did they show up but they cheered when Palahniuk read one of his stories . “The whole event was the literary equivalent of a rock concert” Wilson said.
In all the desperation surrounding the floundering book review sections there is no plan. The whole battle to save the book review sections is at its core a reactive, reflexive response. It seems like everyone is more interested in hanging on to what they have then evolving with the changing landscape. Of course the ad dollars are dwindling and readership is declining but fighting to to stay where you are is not a winning strategy.
As I mentioned in my post The Book Review Shuffle, if the book review sections are going to survive (and prosper) they need to take a more holistic approach to books and expand their coverage to incorporate the many different facets of the book. Reviews are just a part of book culture.
Frank’s full post here