NBCC Makes Preemptive Move to Save 'Book World'
By Rachel Deahl -- Publishers Weekly, 1/22/2009 11:19:00 AM
Although the demise of the Washington Post's book section is still only a rumor, the NBCC is making noise about the need to save it. Is it too early for such a rallying cry? NBCC president Jane Ciabattari said history tells us it's not.
On Wednesday the NBCC started contacting its members about signing a petition to save Book World, which is one of the few remaining standalone Sunday book review sections in the country. This came after word spread, via Politico.com and the NBCC itself, that the section might be in jeopardy.
Last Friday Washington Post editor Marcus Brauchli was quoted on the NBCC blog Critical Mass, saying that the paper is "absolutely committed to book reviews." The statement came after Politico.com reported that "high level" talks have taken place at the paper about cutting the section.
Ciabattari said that when cuts are made at newspapers, every section is in jeopardy, and "just knowing [the section] is in danger is enough to start this [petition]." Ciabattari told PW she confirmed the section's "potential demise" through several inside sources after getting word about the situation from some of the nearly 900 critics who make up the NBCC. A Post spokesperson told PW, "nothing has been decided about Book World. Speaking to the petition, and her organization's directive to advocate for book reviewing, Ciabattari said: "It behooves us to bang the drum loudly."
