Stephen King raises the dead
Books coverage, that is — and the Biblioracle hopes this contagion spreads
A man, upset that his local newspaper, the Portland Press Herald, was going to drop local, freelance reviews “of books about Maine, set in Maine, or written by Maine authors,” tweeted his displeasure. The Portland Press Herald made a deal with him. If he could get 100 people to sign up for digital subscriptions, it would restore the coverage slated for cuts. Less than 48 hours later, the Portland Press Herald had about 200 new digital subscriptions, and the newspaper promised to continue its coverage of Mainerelated books. It probably didn’t hurt that the man who tweeted his displeasure has sold about a gabillion (estimated) books, has more than 5 million Twitter followers and is named Stephen King. Lisa DeSisto, chief executive of the media company that owns the Portland Press Herald, told The New York Times it was a “Stephen King story with a happy ending.” A nice story with a happy ending, but these kinds of stories can make us forget the larger problem. Like just about every other newspaper in the country, the Portland Press Herald is subject to shrinking revenue and reduced budgets, and things that seem like extras — like coverage of local books — go by the wayside. I’m sure loyal readers of the Biblioracle have noticed that when I first started this weekly bit of business, it was part of a stand-alone section dedicated entirely to books, featuring a robust serving of Chicago-centric content. And now — well, it isn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful to still be here, and I do not envy the people who must make these decisions. But as a reader, above anything else, I’m in King’s camp. I’m not interested in a world where every newspaper runs the same syndicated reviews of the same books. One of the greatest aspects of Bookworld — the happy space I live within when I’m thinking about books — is its diversity. If a Chicago paper doesn’t have the resources to cover Chicago books, are we going to trust New York and Washington to do it for us? Who is going to cover the book about the Chicago Cubs dynasty of 2016 to 2040 (a guy can dream)? How will we know about a book on the greatest skyline in the world if it’s not covered by a Chicago paper? Even if out-of-towners do review our stories, what if they get them wrong?
I don’t want our hearts to be too warmed by the story of Stephen King rallying the internet to save local book coverage in his hometown newspaper. I want us focused on the problem of even having to confront such a problem. There was a time when advertising covered newspapers’ bottom lines, but those days are over. Subscriptions are the lifeblood.
More subscriptions, more stuff that readers want.
I am aware that I’m preaching to the choir here — sort of like lectures I used to give to students in class about the importance of attendance — but I’m at a loss. I don’t have King’s platform. If you are reading this and haven’t subscribed, please do. If you’re a subscriber and you value coverage of local books, let your voices be heard. And while you’re doing
that, consider a gift subscription for a friend, or just keep badgering your friend until he or she gives in and subscribes to get you to be quiet.
You know that Joni Mitchell song, “Big Yellow Taxi”? Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.
When I was a kid, I didn’t understand what Ms. Mitchell was getting on about because I only knew the world as it was, not as it used to be. I’m older now, so I get it.
I don’t want a world where young people don’t know the books about the place they live.
How about you?