Tom Grubisich: March 2009 archive
How the Web can help the WaPo (and other papers) write a new chapter about the world of books
March 6, 2009
Book lovers mourned, some angrily, the Washington Post's decision to kill off its free-standing Book World, which, until Feb. 22, was part of the paper's Sunday print package. But the good news was the Post's promise that the estimable literary section would stay alive online. "We intend to develop a strong, easy-to-navigate, well indexed Book World site," new Post Executive Editor Marcus Brauchli (who wielded the ax) wrote in a response to the 122 Book World contributors who protested the decision.But just how "strong" will Book World be online?
When the Los Angeles Times eliminated its free-standing print Sunday Book Review in 2008 as part of its nonstop cost-cutting, the section was reincarnated online as Books in the Living section of the Times website. In addition to reviews, book-sale reports and a literary calendar, Books features a blog called Jacket Copy. But the blog, with its multiple authors, lacks personality. Overall, the online Books isn't capitalizing on the strengths of the Web – particularly community building – and it doesn't seem to have preserved the critical authority that was a hallmark of the print Book Review. Browsing through the skimpy site, you get the feeling it's produced on a shoestring. There is no Steve Wasserman or Digby Diehl – past editors of the Book Review – setting and executing high standards. More...
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