Why Book Publishing Should Worry About Media Layoffs

Media is in a steep decline and the publishing industry must take notice.

Usually, I wouldn’t send out another free newsletter this early in the week, but with the recent media layoffs, I felt it essential to discuss what impact all of this has on book publishing.

Before we dive in, here's a note about this week’s paid edition, which will be published tomorrow: I will take you through the publishing process and provide questions you should ask and when. I’m thrilled by the number of paid subscribers—become one today! Friday will remain our day to engage in Book Therapy, where I answer questions from paid subscribers.

Let’s dive in.

I. Media layoffs will continue:

The start of 2024 has not been kind to journalists. Sports Illustrated gutted its staff, the Los Angeles Times laid off over 20% of their newsroom (including their excellent book review editor—and the book review section’s future is uncertain, per the LA Times), Time magazine laid off over a dozen staffers (including their culture and health writers). Conde Nast employees conducted a one-day walkout to protest the company’s plans to lay off 5% of its staff. Pitchfork, a website I have been reading for 20 years, was folded into GQ, and its staff was let go.

This morning, AdWeek reported that G/O media is shopping its portfolio of editorial assets to find buyers for its titles: Gizmodo, Deadspin, Quartz, Kotaku, The Root, and The Onion. A likely scenario is that buyers will fold each asset into an existing media entity and reduce staff.

It’s only January, and the staff reductions at media entities will only worsen.

II. Why is this happening?

There are varying opinions about media layoffs, but the crux is that brands significantly cut back their ad spending with media outlets. Instead, they rely on paid partnerships with influencers. Further, more ad money is being spent on Google, Amazon, and Meta.

I have difficulty reconciling the layoffs with a reduction in advertising revenue due to bad forecasting. We are four years in from when the pandemic began, and leadership at media companies should have known that society would progress past the lockdowns. Any statement about staff reductions that implies a company focuses on efficiencies tells us that fiscal planning failed. That is not a journalist's problem but the C-suite's. Somehow, the people who made terrible decisions still have jobs. Go figure.

III. What is the fallout from media layoffs?

When media outlets are gutted, we lose quality news coverage. This is especially true of local media in small markets. I live at the Jersey Shore and depend on The Asbury Park Press for area news, like the story I read today about a man who brought a loaded gun into my Costco—the gun fired and shot the owner of it. Without hyperlocal news, I wouldn’t know what happened.

Good reporting matters; we as a society are worse off without it. Further, we risk the creation of more news deserts: territories in the U.S. with no local media. Given the state of social media, where misinformation thrives, it is more important than ever that we have access to reliable journalism. You may think, “I don’t want to pay for it,” but the” truth is that if you bought print magazines or newspapers, you paid for them. Reading The New York Times, Washington Post, or Los Angeles Times online is no different.

Granted, the media is not perfect, and some news outlets publish things that make me scratch my head, but here’s the thing: it is their job to highlight opposing voices because one person’s right is another person’s wrong.

IV. How do media layoffs affect book publishing?

I won’t sugarcoat this: I am worried about the state of media. Fewer books were published when I started my career in book publicity, but there were endless media outlets to pitch. That list has shrunk considerably over the past ten years. Publishing can no longer rely on book reviews or author features to sell books. In truth, reviews don’t sell many books, but they elevate authors’ profiles and validate their work. We are losing valuable real estate for book coverage in media, and the publishing industry needs to take notice.

One of the most frustrating aspects of working for a publisher is sitting through endless meetings where salespeople repeatedly ask about reviews and interviews. Several times, I pushed back (and got scolded for it) and tried to educate executives about the lack of media outlets for books. I’d encourage spending money on marketing, but those pleas were often brushed aside. “Do more with less” is a common motto in the industry, which is why so many of us have burnt out. This thought pattern must stop. It is time for book publishing to take a long, hard look at what isn’t working and fix it.

V. How does publishing “fix it?”

You already know I am someone who doesn’t write about problems without offering solutions, so here are some ideas for publishing to consider:

• Publish fewer books: this is an unpopular opinion, but it is true. Consumer behavior is not complicated. Demand+scarcity=revenue. When there are endless books to choose from that are available all the time, there is no motivation to buy them.

• Integrate marketing and publicity departments: You can’t do publicity today without knowing how to be a marketer. Invest in upskilling your employees, and you will see better results. It is as simple as conducting various workshops on marketing.

• Build better relationships between publicity and sales departments.

• Re-educate sales departments on publicity. There is no reason sales departments should push publicists to confirm reviews when fewer places exist to get them.

• Stop allowing retail accounts to rule the roost. When an account passes on a book without confirmed publicity, it’s time to discuss what publicity is available and how it has worked for other titles. It is too easy for accounts to use lack of publicity as an excuse to pass on titles; if that is the case, they must be re-educated on what works to sell books.

• Be strategic about what non-book influencers you engage (see my story about Atria Books and the TikTok influencer on a cruise). If you engage with an influencer, you must put forth in a contract how many times they are required to post, where they must post, and what verbiage they should use. You can be the cool brand that sends an influencer on a cruise, but if book sales don’t follow, you’ve wasted money.

• Figure out what authenticity means to your company and its publishing imprints. Random House’s attempt at furthering the rumor that Taylor Swift might have written Argylle is precisely what not to do. Consumers do not like to be duped.

• Experiment! Why don’t we have a Penguin Cafe? Why isn’t there a publisher with a podcast where different imprints take turns hosting? Why aren’t more publishers on Substack? If you want attention for your books, market from within.

• Be honest with authors. Everyone in publishing is afraid of hurting people’s feelings. It’s ironic, considering how much toxicity exists in the industry. Authors deserve transparency so they know what steps to take in their careers. I often have conversations with authors who told me they didn’t think they needed to hire a publicist because no one informed them about what was happening. How is this still occurring in 2024?

• Please create a master list of book clubs in the U.S. I can’t believe this doesn’t exist yet.

• Observe how streaming services are evolving. You can learn much from how Netflix is bulking up its content library. (I am working on a piece about what publishing can learn from streaming services)

VI. None of this is a quick fix:

Publishing has two choices: Evolve/diversify or keep publishing books where media attention is sparse and blame publicists when things don’t work out. Try the former, and perhaps you will retain more staff.

As always, comments/questions go to publishingconfidential@gmail.com

Business inquiries go to kathleen@kmspr.com

NOTE ABOUT MY SERVICES:

In the spirit of transparency, here are the costs for some of my services:

Consultations:

This is a 60-90 minute Zoom session where we discuss everything from your social media/branding to what direction you should take in your writing career. COST: $300-$350 depending on your needs.

Private Book Therapy Session:

This is a new offering. It is a 60-minute Zoom call to discuss any challenges you are facing as an author. Are you wondering if you should break up with your agent or publisher? Do you need help deciphering the information publishers provide? Have you come to a crossroads about whether to stay with a big or indie publisher? This session is for you. COST: $300-$350 depending on your needs and if you send me material to review before our discussion.

Interested? Please send me a note at kathleen@kmspr.com

END NOTES:

What I’m Watching: I am rewatching Succession for the fourth (!) time, and I’m on the second season of And Just Like That…(it is not as bad as I had thought it would be).

What I’m Listening to: My almost 16-year-old daughter created a Spotify playlist for me. It’s pretty eclectic! You can listen here.

What I’m Reading: I started reading an advance copy of The Memo by Rachel Dodes and Lauren Mechling. It is an addictive, fun read and should be on your beach reading list. Pre-order it at B&N and get 25% off the list price.

What I’m Buying: I just started using this self-heating ceramic mug by OHOM, and it is a game-changer. I drink coffee slowly, and this mug/heater keeps my java at a perfect temperature.