Would love the list of Murakami recs, please! I own both Kafka on the Shore and 1Q84 but never read anything by him. He's such a giant I'm... afraid I won't like it?
(also I discovered this substack recently and I love it!!! thanks for doing what you do!)
Murakami is divisive but if you love him you'll really love him!! I think if you want to start with something mellow then Kafka on the Shore is great, but 1Q84 and Wind Up Bird Chronicle are my favorites of his.
Listening to "what i talk about when i talk about running" is also a good intro, if you like running especially
After listening to this Shakespeare & Co. podcast episode (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shakespeare-and-company/id1040121937?i=1000670718785) I have less confidence in the publishing world. At the end of the day, what gets published/consumed is what’s going to sell. Will this book be labeled for Reese’s bookclub. It’s all about numbers, money, and capitalism at the end of the day.
I have read some of the books on those lists, and the ones that are infamous on BookTok make me want to roll my eyes because the writing …. just isn’t great. It’s just an entertaining story (especially with the increase of romance fiction). And if you compare the books to what Jenna, Oprah, and Dua it’s not what I call a “beach read.” Where there’s complexities, reckonings, and introspection in the books they have chosen.
I’ll be curious on the U.S. TickTock ban will affect book sales and if it will increase the number of authors on the NY Times Bestseller list as previous years.
Thanks for the thoughts i will let you know what i think of the episode!
I am very curious to see how BookTok impacts sales. If it is getting more people to read more books, i think that is a good thing -- but i agree that i have not been impressed by the quality
Really enjoyed this episode, thank you for sharing. I can’t help but think that there must be a better business model for literary fiction. The category tends not to sell a lot, but it feels like there should be more ways for affluent people who love it to support authors like these…for example I could imagine paying a publisher $300 per year for access to their full catalog, and getting a little tote bag that would be a nice status symbol as a good reader
I’d consider the BookTok / decline in number of authors on the bestseller list correlation to be a bit of a red herring. Post-covid the publishing industry is putting their collective resources towards fewer titles - in their eyes, better to try and push a few titles to be massive hits, rather than spread people/time/money across many small hits which leads to fewer authors getting a real crack at making the list
Not to take away from Dua Lipa, but The Vanishing Half should probably be labeled a GMA book club pick since that’s probably where it picked up a lot of these readers! 🧐
Would love the list of Murakami recs, please! I own both Kafka on the Shore and 1Q84 but never read anything by him. He's such a giant I'm... afraid I won't like it?
(also I discovered this substack recently and I love it!!! thanks for doing what you do!)
aw thank you so much! glad you're here.
Murakami is divisive but if you love him you'll really love him!! I think if you want to start with something mellow then Kafka on the Shore is great, but 1Q84 and Wind Up Bird Chronicle are my favorites of his.
Listening to "what i talk about when i talk about running" is also a good intro, if you like running especially
I think I'll start with mellow, 1Q84 just seems like a project.
And I do like running! Great rec, thank you so much!
So glad to have found your substack via Ochuko! Love this analysis
Thanks so much Kate! (And Ochuko!)
Looking forward to reading your stuff
This was really interesting to put it all into context!
Thanks grace :)
Interesting points and observations as usual !
After listening to this Shakespeare & Co. podcast episode (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shakespeare-and-company/id1040121937?i=1000670718785) I have less confidence in the publishing world. At the end of the day, what gets published/consumed is what’s going to sell. Will this book be labeled for Reese’s bookclub. It’s all about numbers, money, and capitalism at the end of the day.
I have read some of the books on those lists, and the ones that are infamous on BookTok make me want to roll my eyes because the writing …. just isn’t great. It’s just an entertaining story (especially with the increase of romance fiction). And if you compare the books to what Jenna, Oprah, and Dua it’s not what I call a “beach read.” Where there’s complexities, reckonings, and introspection in the books they have chosen.
I’ll be curious on the U.S. TickTock ban will affect book sales and if it will increase the number of authors on the NY Times Bestseller list as previous years.
Thanks for the thoughts i will let you know what i think of the episode!
I am very curious to see how BookTok impacts sales. If it is getting more people to read more books, i think that is a good thing -- but i agree that i have not been impressed by the quality
Well, there might not be an impact now since TT only had a brief intermission? But I would love to hear any thoughts you wish to share on the episode!
That's something I grapple with is at least people are reading regardless of quality... Maybe Dua can save them with her selections?
Really enjoyed this episode, thank you for sharing. I can’t help but think that there must be a better business model for literary fiction. The category tends not to sell a lot, but it feels like there should be more ways for affluent people who love it to support authors like these…for example I could imagine paying a publisher $300 per year for access to their full catalog, and getting a little tote bag that would be a nice status symbol as a good reader
Don't forget the Andrew Luck Book Club!
You know, I did forget about Andrew....the editor regrets the error
Can I be a Read with Joe pick and if so can the sticker on the cover be your face
The Ridker Sellers have joined the chat! And…maybe
I’d consider the BookTok / decline in number of authors on the bestseller list correlation to be a bit of a red herring. Post-covid the publishing industry is putting their collective resources towards fewer titles - in their eyes, better to try and push a few titles to be massive hits, rather than spread people/time/money across many small hits which leads to fewer authors getting a real crack at making the list
Very interesting! Not quite as fun of a narrative though…
Not to take away from Dua Lipa, but The Vanishing Half should probably be labeled a GMA book club pick since that’s probably where it picked up a lot of these readers! 🧐