Book Threads is Toxic. It Shouldn't Be.

Early on, there was hope that the book community would thrive on Threads. Instead, it is a gossip and misinformation machine.

I had initially planned to write a recap of the U.S. Book Show, but being in NYC yesterday wasn’t in the cards for me, so I’d suggest reading Jane Friedman’s excellent coverage in her newsletter.

What I’d like to discuss today is the toxicity of Threads. Specifically, Book Threads. What I’ve witnessed on the platform over the past few weeks has given me good reason to delete the app from my phone at least three times per week. I had high hopes for Threads and thought a robust book community could thrive there, but it has become the opposite.

Lady Whistlethreads

writes great recaps of Threads drama, but to witness it go down in real-time is quite something.

I’m not here to tell you what to say or do. Instead, I want to outline why perpetuating misinformation or gossip does not benefit anyone. I frequently discuss and write about building community and connecting with readers. Sharing unconfirmed information or bad advice is not the right approach. Declaring that no one should buy a particular book is not the right approach, either. Your bond with your community of readers and other authors shouldn’t hinge on outrage. Are there fundamental things wrong with the publishing industry? Yes. I try my best to present them, suggest solutions, or write about a way that something could have been done better. I try to stay in my lane and not delve too deeply into topics where I lack expertise. I also don’t assume things because, as my sixth grade language arts teacher taught us, to “assume” is to make an “ass” out of “u” and “me.” Catholic school for the win.

Lately, I’ve seen posts on Threads about everything from accusing authors of writing a book using AI, which, unless you have actual proof, you should not do; obsessing over a pen name and making unfounded guesses as to an author’s real identity (there’s a reason people use pen names!); misunderstanding publishers’ business models (unless you work for a publisher, you are not 100% privy to their business model, and even then, very few are privy to finances); incorrect information about how the NYT compiles their bestseller lists--newsflash: they don’t disclose that information, so unless you are a NYT mole, cool it; how a book could not have been a legit bestseller because (insert reason here); a debate about whether a publisher did marketing for a bestselling author’s new book (the only person who needs to care about this is the author and their agent), and the never-ending posts about how someone can make your book a bestseller (good luck).

Perhaps bookish people on Threads are avoiding news about the world falling apart and have collectively decided that constantly criticizing the industry is a good idea. Yet, many of those same people also want book deals. My question to them is: If you think the industry is so terrible, why do you want to be a part of it? Trust me, those of us who have been in the industry for most of our adult lives already know how miserable it can be, but we also know all of the good elements. We are well aware that publishing is a business and that revenue is essential. We also know that the majority of revenue usually comes from the backlist and frontlist books that perform well. That said, there is an enormous amount of room for other books that are not backlist or bestselling frontlist titles, and yet I see so little of them discussed on Threads. For all its faults, Book Twitter at its best was full of great book recommendations. I don’t see the same thing happening on Threads. I wish it would.

I’ve never been a proponent of telling people they shouldn’t buy a particular book or trying to get an author or book canceled. That doesn’t mean I’ve agreed with every publisher’s decisions to publish certain books. The truth is that some people long ago made up their minds about some authors, and nothing will change their minds. That’s their right, but can we at least agree that the consumer should decide what to read? Can’t we promote books in a positive way instead of using a platform as a 24/7 newsfeed of negativity?

I don’t often discuss it because I prefer not to deal with people’s opinions about it, but I learned a great deal while serving as the Publicity Director for Skyhorse between 2019 and 2022. For one, most people decided to form an opinion about the company without looking at the whole picture. Sure, they published (and still publish) controversial books, but did you know they have a literary imprint (Arcade), a lifestyle imprint (Good Books), a children’s book imprint (SkyPony), and more? Did I work on controversial books? You betcha.

Have I loved everything I worked on? Did I agree with every book published? No, I didn’t, but I could say the same about every publisher I’ve worked for. One of my first big publicity campaigns in the 1990s was a memoir by a man who assisted his terminally ill wife in ending her life. It was so controversial that I managed to secure a front-page story in The Daily News, followed by numerous phone calls from outraged people (this was before the advent of email and social media). Talk about baptism by fire. No matter where I worked, there was a controversial book on the menu. I learned to manage it early and quickly realized that you can’t make everyone happy. Those who know me personally are also familiar with who I am and my values. They also know I am pragmatic about book publishing, and understand (probably too well) that it is a business. Not only that, but it is a business filled with people I call colleagues and friends. There are undoubtedly bad seeds, but is any industry perfect?

Something that strikes me is that not every film, series, or album gets made, yet we see significantly less chatter surrounding those industries on platforms like Threads. Writing is such a personal endeavor that it’s easy to feel slighted in some way when Author X is getting attention and others are not. Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson’s book Original Sin has been promoted nonstop on CNN, which also happens to be Jake Tapper’s place of employment. Threads was ablaze with criticism about this, but what people outside the industry may not understand is that Tapper’s book contract probably stipulated he would promote the book on CNN and in what manner. It sold over 50,000 copies in its first week. Why? Because many consumers chose to read it, they made a conscious decision to do so, as they should. Also, the publicity worked.

There is also a need for a basic understanding of how the media operates today, which can be summed up with one word: clicks. Journalists and editors know how many people read a story, share a story, and sometimes even know how long they spend lingering on a story. These are data points that can’t be ignored. The media doesn’t hand out feature interviews like candy on Halloween. The subject must be buzzy, the author is usually not unknown, and the content is engrossing. A great example of this is Ocean Vuong’s interview in The New York Times. This was no ordinary interview. It was a confession. He is the exception, but you can see what I mean by “it has to be interesting.” These aren’t opportunities every author will get because there are so many books published, and not enough writers with fascinating personal stories to tell—even if they’re scandalous. Just wait until all the kids whose parents filmed them for YouTube or cast them in a reality series start writing memoirs.

My point is that the vibes on Threads, a platform I once loved, are not great. This also happens on BookTok, which is why I limit myself to watching videos of babies doing funny things or clips from concerts. What authors, aspiring and published, must consider is how they want to present themselves on social media. Trust me when I tell you book publishing is a small world. Even if a publishing person isn’t on Threads, they’ll hear about what someone posted, especially if it is another author.
Additionally, due to the negativity, many publishing professionals are abstaining from Threads, resulting in limited scouting opportunities. Is that what we want for the book community? I hope not.

Lastly, the most controversial author you think you know is probably not as bad as a couple of beloved authors I have worked with in my career. You can figure out for yourself which one we nicknamed “Satan” when I worked for an imprint at a Big Five publisher. Or, don’t, because book gossip is bad. Wink, wink.

END NOTES:

I’ve been in a TV coma, so let’s review what I’ve watched:

• Becoming Led Zeppelin on Prime (I bought it): I'm a huge Led Zeppelin fan, and this two-hour documentary about how they formed made me lose track of time. It’s great.

• Mountainhead (HBO): Jesse Armstrong (Succession) wrote and directed this tech bro nightmare. Four tech billionaires, a mountain house, and evil uses of AI. It was weird, but I can also envision the same conversations happening in real life.

• Sirens (Netflix): I’m not sure about this one. It was entertaining enough for five episodes, but I needed way more context for Kevin Bacon and Julianne Moore’s characters.

• And Just Like That, S3, Episode 1 (HBO): Cringe in the best way possible. Inject it into my veins!

• The Better Sister (Prime): The jury is still out on this one. I haven’t finished it yet.

• Bono: Stories of Surrender (Apple+): I’ve been a U2 fan since 1982. I’ve seen them live countless times, and even got to watch them perform at The Apollo. Bono is a lot, but he is also a great storyteller. If you’re a fan, you’ll want to watch.

• Your Friends and Neighbors, Season Finale (Apple+): Jon Hamm is a great actor, and this is his best role since Don Draper in Mad Men. I thought the finale was perfect, even though I figured out who the murderer was pretty early on.

• The Studio, Season Finale (Apple+): Give me this show on repeat. I laughed so hard during every episode. Bryan Cranston was hysterical in it. Kudos to Seth Rogen for creating a series where Hollywood makes fun of itself.

• Overcompensating, Season Finale (Prime): My 17-year-old daughter and I are mad at the cliffhanger. We’ll watch the next season.

• Next up: Sinners is now streaming to rent/buy. It’s at the top of my list.