The NY Times Book Review…
They use some arcane and secret formula to determine their bestsellers list. They pander to the Big Five (most located in NYC, of course) and gladly accept their ad money for those ostentatious slap-in-your-face ads. (A new first for me occurred on September 3: a double-page ad for Le Carré‘s new book. Oops! They just did it again for Follett’s.) They exhibit a smugness that matches many mom & pop bookstore’s that are simply more arms belonging to the Big Five octopi.
There was a time when I stopped reading the NY Times Book Review. If I had owned a canary or a parakeet at the time, I would have made good use of it by lining the bottom of the cage, but I didn’t have a bird, so it just went into the recycling bin. Now I’m reading it again, but probably not for the reasons the Times would like. I focus on the ads, asking myself why the Big Five’s superstars need them, and on the bestsellers list to decide what NOT to read. The last book on the list I read was Shattered, the story about HRC’s failed campaign, and I was reading that before it became a Times bestseller.
Yes, I don’t use the NY Times Book Review in the way it was intended to be used, I’m sure. First, I just don’t generally find the books found in it that interesting. There are a lot of good books and good authors out there—from indies to traditional small presses—and the Times usually ignores all the ones I’d like to read.
Second, the Times is the official mouthpiece for those snarky people who tell me that everybody is reading X, so I must read X too. Huh? Everybody isn’t a reader, but I’m an avid reader who pretty much ignores what “everybody is reading,” even if that statement were true. One thing about my reading experience I really enjoy is that it’s MY experience. Reading choices are personal choices, but no reader should jump on a fanwagon, especially when the NY Times or any other publication tells him to do so.
Third, the NY Times publicizes books and authors who really don’t need more publicity. Their determination of quality is what the Big Five tell them it is. Correction: it’s determined by anyone who wants to pay the Times’ exorbitant ad fees. Traditional publishings’ Big Five and the Times are just flip sides of the same tarnished coin.
To be fair, the Book Review doesn’t neglect indie authors and small presses. Every week there’s a half-column ad titled “Big-Time Opportunities for Small Press Publishers” (at least they didn’t say “Big-League”—and please note there’s no mention of indie authors, just small presses). I checked into that once. Authors who aren’t Big Five superstars need not apply unless they win the lottery, take out a second mortgage on their house, or sell some body parts. When big money talks, the Times sees fit to print, as all those ads from the Chinese and other groups with big-pocketed proselytizing people show. And small presses won’t have the funds for these ads either. “But I’ve seen a full-page ad for Xlibris books,” you say. FYI: they’re really ads for three Xlibris-like outfits that are all part of Random House/Penguin now, and they charge each author whose book is in that ad a small fortune too.
Do I have a vendetta against the Book Review? Nope, no more than with any other worthless piece of hoodwinking journalism that hides its methods and tries to mold public opinion (book readers, in this case). You can peruse it if you like. It’s a free country and maybe you’re looking for some interesting non-fiction books or children’s books. I’ll still keep using the NY Times Book Review, though, to determine what NOT to read in fiction before adding it to the recycling, at least until I get a bird.
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Rembrandt’s Angel (a mystery/thriller from Penmore Press). To what lengths would you go to recover a stolen masterpiece? Scotland Yard’s Art and Antiques Inspector Esther Brookstone goes the extra mile. She and paramour/sidekick Bastiann van Coevorden, an Interpol agent, set out to outwit the dealers of stolen art and recover “An Angel with Titus’ Features,” a Rembrandt painting stolen by the Nazis in World War Two. Their efforts lead to much more, as they uncover an international conspiracy that threatens Europe. During their dangerous adventures, their relationship solidifies and becomes a full-blown romance. This book is available in ebook format at Amazon and at Smashwords and its affiliate retailers. It’s also available as a print version at Amazon, B&N, or your favorite bookstore (if not there, ask for it). See the review and interview on Feathered Quill.
In libris libertas…
