The New York Times Book Review Explained

The New York Times Book Review
Editor:Gilbert Cruz[1]
Frequency:Weekly
Company:The New York Times Company
Country:United States
Based:New York City, New York
Language:English
Issn:0028-7806

The New York Times Book Review (NYTBR) is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of The New York Times in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely read book review publications in the industry.[2] The magazine's offices are located near Times Square in New York City.

Overview

The New York Times has published a book review section since October 10, 1896, announcing: "We begin today the publication of a Supplement which contains reviews of new books ... and other interesting matter ... associated with news of the day."[3] In 1911, the review was moved to Sundays, on the theory that it would be more appreciatively received by readers with a bit of time on their hands.[4]

The target audience is an intelligent, general-interest adult reader.[2] The Times publishes two versions each week, one with a cover price sold via subscription, bookstores and newsstands; the other with no cover price included as an insert in each Sunday edition of the Times (the copies are otherwise identical).

Each week, the NYTBR receives 750 to 1000 books from authors and publishers in the mail, of which 20 to 30 are chosen for review.[2] Books are selected by the "preview editors" who read over 1,500 advance galleys a year.[5] The selection process is based on finding books that are important and notable, as well as discovering new authors whose books stand above the crowd.[2] Self-published books are generally not reviewed as a matter of policy.[2] Books not selected for review are stored in a "discard room" and then sold.[2], Barnes & Noble arrived about once a month to purchase the contents of the discard room, and the proceeds are then donated by NYTBR to charities.[2] Books that are actually reviewed are usually donated to the reviewer.[2]

As of 2015, all review critics are freelance; the NYTBR does not have staff critics.[6] In prior years, the NYTBR did have in-house critics, or a mix of in-house and freelance.[2] For freelance critics, they are assigned an in-house "preview editor" who works with them in creating the final review.[2] Freelance critics might be employees of The New York Times whose main duties are in other departments.[6] They also include professional literary critics, novelists, academics and artists who write reviews for the NYTBR on a regular basis.[6]

Other duties on staff include a number of senior editors and a chief editor; a team of copy editors; a letter pages editor who reads letters to the editor; columnists who write weekly columns, such as the "Paperback Row" column; a production editor; a web and Internet publishing division; and other jobs.[2] In addition to the magazine there is an Internet site that offers additional content, including audio interviews with authors, called the "Book Review Podcast".[2]

The book review publishes each week the widely cited and influential New York Times Best Seller list, which is created by the editors of the Times "News Surveys" department.[7]

In 2021, on the 125th anniversary of the Book Review, Parul Sehgal a staff critic and former editor at the Book Review, wrote a review of the NYTBR titled "Reviewing the Book Review".[8]

Pamela Paul was editor from 2013 to 2022, succeeding Sam Tanenhaus,[9] who was editor from 2004 to 2013.

Podcast

"Inside The New York Times Book Review" is the oldest and most popular podcast at The New York Times. The debut episode was released on April 30, 2006 and the show has been recorded weekly ever since.[10]

1983 Legion court case

In 1983, William Peter Blatty sued the New York Times Book Review for failing to include his 1983 novel, Legion, in its best-seller list. The New York Times had previously claimed that it based its "best-seller list" is based on computer-processed sales figures from 2,000 bookstores across the United States. Blatty contended that Legion had sold enough copies to be included on the list. Lawyers for The New York Times did not deny this, but stated that the content of the New York Times best-seller list is editorial in content, and is not an objective compilation of information. The court ruled in favor of The New York Times.[11] [12]

Best Books of the Year and Notable Books

Each year since 1968, around the beginning of December, a list of notable books and/or editor's choice ("Best Books") is announced. Beginning in 2004, it consists of a "100 Notable Books of the Year" list[13] which contains fiction and non-fiction titles, 50 of each. From the list of 100, 10 books are awarded the "Best Books of the Year" title, five each of fiction and non-fiction. Other year-end lists include the Best Illustrated Children's Books, in which 10 books are chosen by a panel of judges.

1990s

1998

The Notable Books were announced December 6, 1998.[14] The eleven Editor's Choice books were announced December 6, 1998.[15]

1999

The Notable Books were announced December 5, 1999.[16] The eleven Editor's Choice books were announced December 5, 1999.[17]

2000s

2000

The Notable Books were announced December 3, 2000.[18] The 10 Editor's Choice books were announced December 3, 2000.[19]

2001

The Notable Books were announced December 2, 2001.[20] The 9 Editor's Choice books were announced December 2, 2001.[21]

2002

The Notable Books were announced December 8, 2002.[22] The 7 Editor's Choice books were announced December 8, 2002.[23]

2003

The Notable Books were announced December 7, 2003.[24] The 9 Editor's Choice books were announced December 7, 2003.[25]

2004

The 100 Notable Books were announced December 5, 2004.[26] The 10 Best Books were announced December 12, 2004.[27]

2005

The 100 Notable Books were announced December 4, 2005.[28] The 10 Best Books were announced December 11, 2005.[29]

2006

The 100 Notable Books were announced December 3, 2006.[30] The 10 Best Books were announced December 10, 2006.[31]

2007

The 100 Notable Books were announced December 2, 2007.[32] The 10 Best Books were announced December 9, 2007.[33]

2008

The 100 Notable Books were announced November 26, 2008.[34] The 10 Best Books were announced December 14, 2008.[35]

2009

The 100 Notable Books were announced December 6, 2009.[36] The 10 Best Books were announced December 13, 2009.[37]

2010s

2010

The 100 Notable Books were announced November 24, 2010.[38] The 10 Best Books were announced December 1, 2010.[39]

2011

The 100 Notable Books were announced November 21, 2011.[40] The 10 Best Books were announced November 30, 2011.[41]

2012

The 100 Notable Books were announced November 27, 2012.[42] The 10 Best Books were announced November 30, 2012.[43]

2013

The 100 Notable Books were announced November 27, 2013.[44] The 10 Best Books were announced December 4, 2013.[45]

2014

The 100 Notable Books were announced.[46] The 10 Best Books were announced December 14, 2014.[47]

2015 The 100 Notable Books were announced November 27, 2015.[48] The 10 Best Books were announced December 3, 2015.[49]

2016

The 100 Notable Books were announced November 23, 2016.[50] The 10 Best Books were announced December 1, 2016.[51]

2017

The 100 Notable Books were announced November 22, 2017.[52] The 10 Best Books were announced November 30, 2017.[53]

2018

The 100 Notable Books were announced November 18, 2018.[54] The 10 Best Books were announced November 29, 2018.[55]

2019

The 100 Notable Books were announced November 25, 2019.[56] The 10 Best Books were announced November 22, 2019.[57] In 2019 for the first time, the 10 Best Books were announced prior to the 100 Notable Books.

2020s

2020

The 100 Notable Books were announced November 20, 2020.[58] The 10 Best Books were announced November 23, 2020.[59]

Fiction

Nonfiction

2021

The 100 Notable Books were announced November 22, 2021.[60] The 10 Best Books were announced November 30, 2021.[61]

Fiction

Nonfiction

2022

The 100 Notable Books were announced November 22, 2022.[62] The 10 Best Books were announced November 29, 2022.[63]

Fiction

Nonfiction

2023

The 100 Notable Books were announced November 21, 2023.[64] The 10 Best Books were announced on November 28.[65]

Fiction

Nonfiction

Studies

In 2010, Stanford professors Alan Sorenson and Jonah Berger published a study examining the effect on book sales from positive or negative reviews in the New York Times Book Review.[66] They found all books benefited from positive reviews, while popular or well-known authors were negatively impacted by negative reviews.[66] Lesser-known authors benefited from negative reviews; in other words, bad publicity actually boosted book sales.[66] [67]

A study published in 2012, by university professor and author Roxane Gay, found that 90 percent of the New York Times book reviews published in 2011 were of books by white authors.[68] Gay said, "The numbers reflect the overall trend in publishing where the majority of books published are written by white writers."[68] At the time of the report, the racial makeup of the United States was 72 percent white, according to the 2010 census (it includes Hispanic and Latino Americans who identify as white).[68]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Gilbert Cruz Is Our Next Books Editor . 24 August 2022 . The New York Times Company. 28 July 2022.
  2. Web site: Inside The New York Times Book Review. C-SPAN. April 12, 2015. October 17, 2006. A behind-the-scenes tour of the offices of the New York Times Book Review showed how an issue is created. Editor Sam Tanenhaus guided the tour through the editorial and production process of review while staff members described their various responsibilities. Included were selecting and rejecting books; choosing reviewers for books; fact checking and editing the review; composing the layout design; creating headlines, blurbs, and artwork; and selecting and editing letters from readers..
  3. http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/browser/1896/10/10/ The New York Times
  4. News: Dunlap. David W.. 1896 The Book Review Is Born. August 18, 2016. The New York Times. April 27, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  5. News: Inside the NYT Book Review: 'How I Write' Interviews Sam Tanenhaus . Noah Charney . August 8, 2012 . The Daily Beast . August 9, 2012.
  6. Web site: Answering the Most Frequent Questions About the Book Review . New York Times Book Review . Pamela Paul . January 1, 2016 . January 2, 2016.
  7. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20120125082356/http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/22/4203094/best-sellers-lists-how-they-work.html . January 25, 2012 . Best-sellers lists: How they work and who they (mostly) work for . The Sacramento Bee . Allen Pierleoni . January 22, 2012 . August 13, 2014 . dead.
  8. Web site: Reviewing the Book Review . The New York Times Book Review . Parul Sehgal . February 26, 2021 . February 27, 2021.
  9. News: The New York Times Book Review at a Crossroads. The Nation. April 21, 2022. July 10, 2022. Paoletta. Sam.
  10. News: Paul. Pamela. Listening to the Book Review. September 14, 2015. The New York Times. April 27, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  11. Web site: Hager . Philip . Best-Seller Listing Is Issue in Lawsuit by Author . The Los Angeles Times . October 8, 1986 . 11 March 2023.
  12. Book: Ezra Greenspan. . 3 . The Best-Seller List as Marketing Tool and Historical Fiction . Laura J. Miller . https://books.google.com/books?id=PEZkkbohbtoC&pg=PA297 . . 2000 . 286–304 . 0271020504.
  13. News: HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE; 100 Notable Books of 2010 . December 5, 2010. The New York Times. 28. January 7, 2011. (Page has links to previous years also.)
  14. News: Notable Books 1998. December 6, 1998. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  15. News: The 11 Best Books 1998. December 6, 1998. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  16. News: Notable Books 2000. December 5, 1999. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  17. News: The 11 Best Books 1999. December 5, 1999. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  18. News: Notable Books 2000. December 3, 2000. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  19. News: The 10 Best Books 1999. December 3, 2000. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  20. News: Notable Books 2001. December 2, 2001. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  21. News: The 9 Best Books 2001. December 2, 2001. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  22. News: Notable Books 2002. December 8, 2002. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  23. News: The 7 Best Books 2002. December 8, 2002. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  24. News: Notable Books 2003. December 7, 2003. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  25. News: The 9 Best Books 2003. December 7, 2003. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  26. News: 100 Notable Books 2004. December 5, 2004. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  27. News: The 10 Best Books 2004. December 12, 2004. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  28. News: 100 Notable Books of 2005. December 4, 2005. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  29. News: The 10 Best Books of 2005. December 11, 2005. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  30. Web site: 100 Notable Books of 2006. December 3, 2006. The New York Times. April 26, 2020.
  31. Web site: The 10 Best Books of 2006 . December 10, 2006. The New York Times. April 26, 2020.
  32. News: 100 Notable Books of 2007. December 2, 2007. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  33. News: The 10 Best Books of 2007. December 9, 2007. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  34. News: 100 Notable Books of 2008. November 26, 2008. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  35. News: The 10 Best Books of 2008. December 3, 2008. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  36. Web site: 100 Notable Books of 2009. December 6, 2009. The New York Times. en. April 27, 2020.
  37. Web site: The 10 Best Books of 2009. December 13, 2009. The New York Times. en. April 27, 2020.
  38. News: 100 Notable Books of 2010. November 24, 2010. The New York Times. April 27, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  39. News: The 10 Best Books of 2010. December 1, 2010. The New York Times. April 27, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  40. News: 100 Notable Books of 2011. November 21, 2011. The New York Times. April 27, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  41. News: The 10 Best Books of 2011. November 30, 2011. The New York Times. April 27, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  42. News: 100 Notable Books of 2012. November 27, 2012. The New York Times. April 27, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  43. News: The 10 Best Books of 2012. November 30, 2012. The New York Times. April 27, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  44. News: 100 Notable Books of 2013. November 27, 2013. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  45. News: The 10 Best Books of 2013. December 4, 2013. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  46. News: 100 Notable Books of 2014. December 2, 2014. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  47. News: The 10 Best Books of 2014. December 4, 2014. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  48. News: 100 Notable Books of 2015. November 27, 2015. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  49. News: The 10 Best Books of 2015. December 3, 2015. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  50. News: 100 Notable Books of 2016. November 23, 2016. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  51. News: The 10 Best Books of 2016. December 1, 2016. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  52. News: 100 Notable Books of 2017. November 22, 2017. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  53. News: The 10 Best Books of 2017. November 30, 2017. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  54. News: 100 Notable Books of 2018. November 18, 2018. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  55. News: The 10 Best Books of 2018. November 29, 2018. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  56. News: 100 Notable Books of 2019. November 25, 2019. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  57. News: The 10 Best Books of 2019. November 22, 2019. The New York Times. April 26, 2020. en-US. 0362-4331.
  58. News: November 20, 2020. 100 Notable Books of 2020. en-US. The New York Times. December 28, 2020. 0362-4331.
  59. News: November 23, 2020. The 10 Best Books of 2020. en-US. The New York Times. December 28, 2020. 0362-4331.
  60. News: November 22, 2021. 100 Notable Books of 2021. en-US. The New York Times. November 30, 2022. 0362-4331.
  61. News: November 30, 2021. The 10 Best Books of 2021. en-US. The New York Times. November 30, 2022. 0362-4331.
  62. News: November 22, 2022. 100 Notable Books of 2022. en-US. The New York Times. November 30, 2022. 0362-4331.
  63. News: November 29, 2022. The 10 Best Books of 2022. en-US. The New York Times. November 30, 2022. 0362-4331.
  64. News: 100 Notable Books of 2023 . The New York Times . November 21, 2023 . 0362-4331 .
  65. Web site: The 10 Best Books of 2023 . The New York Times . November 28, 2023 . 0362-4331.
  66. Alan Sorenson, Jonah Berger. "Positive Effects of Negative Publicity: When Negative Reviews Increase Sales". Marketing Science, Vol. 29, No. 5, September–October 2010, pp. 815–827.
  67. Jenny Thai, "Bad publicity may boost book sales", the Stanford Daily, February 23, 2011.
  68. Web site: Where Things Stand . Roxane Gay . . June 6, 2012 . June 13, 2012.

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