Comments on: What Kirkus closing means for the average reader http://blog.leeandlow.com/2009/12/10/what-kirkus-closing-means-for-the-average-reader/ Looking Past the Cover • Children's Book Publishing • Diversity and Race • Conversation Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:16:02 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Miriam http://blog.leeandlow.com/2009/12/10/what-kirkus-closing-means-for-the-average-reader/#comment-312 Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:28:21 +0000 http://blog.leeandlow.com/?p=952#comment-312 Elizabeth, I disagree. How do people pick which books are worth reading for themselves? They start with the selection at their local bookstore, which is influenced by the review journals. They start with the selection at their local library, which is influenced by the review journals. They start online, at blogs or Amazon… and how do blogs get books? From publishers, or because they read about them on other blogs… or because they found them at their local bookstore or library. And a good bookstore or library knows the needs of its customers and patrons, and bears that in mind when choosing which books to order. With fewer review sources, they have less information on which to base those decisions. And the need to make those decisions; no physical store or library has room for every new book. And yes, Amazon does; but how many books get space on the front page? Or in the “people interested in this item also liked…” sections? Not very many.

Reviews aren’t about dictating or narrowing the field, they’re about helping the really excellent books rise to the top of the stack.

]]> By: Elizabeth Burton http://blog.leeandlow.com/2009/12/10/what-kirkus-closing-means-for-the-average-reader/#comment-311 Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:38:46 +0000 http://blog.leeandlow.com/?p=952#comment-311 So, let me see if I understand correctly. You’re bemoaning the fact that people may actually have the opportunity to decide for themselves which books are worth reading instead of having several layers of other people dictate what they SHOULD read?

News flash: the only people who will care that Kirkus is gone is the staff and those in the publishing industry who used the reviews it contained as a time saver. The only impact the major review journals have on general readers is the narrowing of what they are likely to find available in those libraries and bookstores because of previous winnowing out of the “undesirables.”

]]> By: Claudia http://blog.leeandlow.com/2009/12/10/what-kirkus-closing-means-for-the-average-reader/#comment-308 Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:46:42 +0000 http://blog.leeandlow.com/?p=952#comment-308 A drawback to blog reviews is that people who do them often refuse to do “negative” reviews. Kirkus didn’t have that hang up and had a lot of credibility for intellectual honesty as a result. You knew that if KR praised a book, it was probably really good.

]]> By: Tweets that mention What Kirkus closing means for the average reader « the open book -- Topsy.com http://blog.leeandlow.com/2009/12/10/what-kirkus-closing-means-for-the-average-reader/#comment-307 Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:05:30 +0000 http://blog.leeandlow.com/?p=952#comment-307 [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Natasha @ Maw Books, Lee and Low Books. Lee and Low Books said: What Kirkus closing means for the average reader: http://bit.ly/5XWsJH [...]

]]>