End of Kirkus Reviews Brings Anguish and Relief (Shit!)

[Are_grits_groceries]

The book industry, beleaguered by a battery of dispiriting news about lackluster sales and online price wars, got another taste of the apocalypse on Thursday with the news that Kirkus Reviews, the venerable prepublication review journal, was closing.

Then again, there were those who were not so quietly relieved that a frequent source of author flaying had been subdued.
<snip>
Founded in 1933, Kirkus churned out nearly 5,000 reviews a year. Although typically not seen by the general public — except in blurbs on books or excerpted on barnesandnoble.com — Kirkus reviews were often used by librarians and booksellers when deciding how to stock their shelves.
<snip>
Still, some publishers noted that Kirkus reviews, reliably cantankerous, often differed from the other prepublication reviewers. “It wasn’t just broad, it was rigorous, curmudgeonly, and it was often a dissenting or idiosyncratic voice,” said Nan Graham, editor in chief of Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.

For small presses, Kirkus might be one of the only places a book would get a write-up, other than Publishers Weekly. Martin Shepard, co-publisher of the Permanent Press, an independent publisher in Sag Harbor, N.Y., said Kirkus had generally reviewed about 10 of the 12 to 14 books that the company publishes each year.
<snip>
Because small presses rely heavily on sales to libraries, Mr. Shepard said, the loss of Kirkus is a significant blow. Although he said the most important trade journal remained Publishers Weekly, he said: “It’s like Hertz and Avis. To have the No. 2 close down is sad.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/12/books/12kirkus.html?_r=1&ref=books

I loved Kirkus Reviews. They highlighted books that may never see the commercial light of day. I scoured them looking for an odd gem.

I didn't take them as gospel, but I knew that there might be a different viewpoint than the standard one mouthed by MSM.

I hope they do an online version. Otherwise another voice sometimes counter to the publishing establishment is gone.

[murielm99]

1. Oh no.

I loved Kirkus, too. It was a great source for selection decisions when I was still a librarian.