Kirkus Reviews, Editor & Publisher to Close
More bad news from the world of professional book reviewing: Publisher’s Weekly is reporting that Nielsen Business Media has announced that it will close the highly influential book review publication Kirkus Reviews as well as Editor & Publisher magazine. In publication since 1933, Kirkus Reviews publishes roughly 5,000 book reviews annually covering a wide variety of genres. Its closing will undoubtedly cause a significant decrease in the availability of professional, well-written book reviews. Editor & Publisher, the “bible of the newspaper industry” has been in print even longer; tracing its origins as far back as 1884.
We’re certainly in a time of change. What’ll be the fate of newspapers, magazines, and books in an internet age? Is their demise inevitable, and is that ALL bad?
It is a worrying trend indeed. With fewer professional reviewers reviewing in fewer publications, the society is in danger of one day finding itself relying solely upon slap-dash comments left on retail websites to determine whether a book is worthwhile for them to purchase and read. Indeed, were it not for reviewers bringing titles to a wider audience, many very worthy books might never find their intended audience at all.
As someone who would love to make book reviewing my professional career, this is a tragedy. Book blogging is a fantastic way to get reviews out there, but it’s hard to replace something as respected and well-loved as Kirkus Reviews.
Wow, disappointing, and not just because of the similarity to my name. Book reviews are as important to publishing as the books themselves (but in a different way of course.)