“There was some grief at the beginning over not being able to go out and celebrate, but that kind of dissipated because as unfortunate as this is, I have to remind myself that the whole point of writing a book is that books live very long lives,” C Pam Zhang told the Reading Women podcast about publishing a book during the coronavirus pandemic. “I’m honestly far more worried about the health of indie bookstores because they’ve always been hanging on by a thread, and it’s just really important to support them in this time.”
For the New York Times, Robin Pogrebin looks at the ways that artists, writers, and musicians are publicizing their work during the coronavirus pandemic. “In the best of circumstances, given the intense competition for media interest, there is typically a very short window of time in which to make a public impression,” she writes. “Now, when people are distracted by a global health crisis and the future feels unknowable, the approach to promotion has to be more nimble — and tasteful.”
Amal El-Mohtar recommends science fiction books that can help us make sense of our current reality.
At Nieman Lab, Sarah Scire examines the New York Times’s most recent diversity report and looks at the American Society of News Editors’s announcement that the group will be taking a break from publishing its annual diversity census.
Amazon is looking to branch into local podcasts, Axios reports.
Folio talks to Deadspin editor in chief Eric Barrow and G/O Media editorial director Jim Rich about the recently-relaunched sports website. “Aside from all of the well-documented turmoil that went on there last fall, from a journalist’s standpoint, it’s still a title that holds significant sway,” Rich said about why he was interested in working on the site. “If you had the opportunity to do good journalism, it’s something you’d be foolish not to want to take on.” Barrow said that despite the majority of Deadspin’s staff leaving last fall after being told to “stick to sports,” he has not been given any mandate about coverage from higher-ups. “I tell my writers just to continue to do the sports stories we feel need to be told, wherever that might lead us,” he said.
