In publishing circles, the best friend a book can have is someone who will talk about it – a bookseller, for instance, as well as a member of the media. With newspapers giving up on book reviews, television and radio hosts have taken up the slack – much to the relief of publicists and authors. Yet recent announcements from among the ranks of books’ best friends have raised concern.
“The publishing industry is losing two big, big boosters— Stephen Colbert, who is taking over later this year for David Letterman, and Jon Stewart who is leaving the Daily Show,” Andrew Albanese, Publishers Weekly senior writer, reports. “Those two hosts focused not on the big bestsellers so much as really great, smart books from a range of presses.
“Not surprisingly, the book business is wondering what comes after these two shows,” Albanese tells CCC’s Chris Kenneally. “As one executive noted, the Daily Show and Colbert appreciated authors for being authors, and not celebrities.”
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Every Friday, CCC’s “Beyond the Book” speaks with the editors and reporters of “Publishers Weekly” for an early look at the news that publishers, editors, authors, agents and librarians will be talking about when they return to work on Monday.