Book World Out of Print

The NY Times reported that the Washington Post’s Book World is going out of print.  It’s yet another way in which the print media is cutting back.

I’m seriously worried about investigative reporting, but I have a feeling that stuff like book reviews, movie reviews, and the like will be downsized regardless of what we do.  When it comes to this kind of thing, I’m in the same state of mind as Jason Epstein–I think we’re going to have to learn how to deal with a new system that takes the internet into account.  It’s a fact that booksellers had very little idea what people thought about books before Amazon came out; this is simply a reworking of an industry that may not have been as efficient as it could have been.  Professional reviewers are important to society, but the form and method in which they deliver their views will probably have to change.

By the way, for those who took my advice and read the book by Epstein, here is some updated info from him.

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