Book publishing has long been a collaborative business and that aspect of the industry will be needed more than ever now. Every segment will have to fight through the disruptions caused by this crisis.
Catching up with PW's Andrew Albanese
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The week just ended saw ups and downs in the book world like a roller coaster ride, reports Andrew Albanese, Publishers Weekly senior writer.
On Tuesday, Reed Exhibitions conceded the obvious and cancelled BookExpo and BookCon, which the organizers had earlier moved from May to July. The venue of the Jacob Javits Convention Center was recently transformed into a temporary hospital as New York City fights a surge of COVID19 cases.
The following day, the U.S. Census Bureau reported bookstore sales rose 0.8% in February 2020 over the previous year, according to preliminary estimates.
Difficult times clearly lie ahead for publishers, authors and bookstores, Albanese tells CCC’s Chris Kenneally. Yet PW editorial director Jim Milliot offers consoling words in a special personal essay.
“As Jim notes, book publishing has long been a collaborative business and that aspect of the industry will be needed more than ever now,” Albanese relates. “Every segment will have to fight through the disruptions caused by this crisis. And the evidence is clear: People in all segments of publishing recognize how much we all need each other.”
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.
