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October 10, 2005
A Few Good Reviews
I mostly agree with Lizzie's comment on the importance of positive reviews. In terms of Boldtype, people hear from us only once a month. Chances are if they read us, they're already checking out book coverage in the major print reviews. And even if they're not, we think an email magazine is ultimately better suited to the format of a shortlist. People read us in an internet minute anyway, looking for something that catches their eye. So as long as some of our choices are unexpected, I think it makes sense to only include books we like.
That said, working with Maud and Mark on this issue has actually made us reconsider our format a bit. For a while now, we've been thinking about including a section on recent books in each issue, with both positive and negative coverage. We may test it out in November, but we won't give up the shortlist style. The greatest advantage of doing only recommendations is that it allows us to review older titles as well. It would make little sense to bash a book from thirty years ago (why bother?), but it's saying something new to tip your readers off to a little-known good read, regardless of whether it came out in the '80s or the 1800s. Books deserve a shelf life longer than their slot in the publishing industry's seasons, especially given the pricey hardcover market.
Above and beyond Boldtype's editorial policies, though, I personally have absolutely no problem with negative reviews. That's part of the game, and in many ways it's more helpful to read a takedown of a celebrated book than it is to skim yet another round of lukewarm praise. The reviewing pool is too shallow anyway — we need some snarks to keep it healthy.
Posted by toby.warner at October 10, 2005 03:46 PM