paper trail

The most anticipated books of 2017; Medium cuts staff

John Hodgman

The Millions has posted their comprehensive preview of the “most anticipated” books coming out in the first half of 2017, with titles by Roxane Gay, Rachel Cusk, Aravind Adgia, Elif Batuman, Ali Smith, Percival Everett, and many more.

Medium, the web publishing service, has announced that they are cutting one-third of their staff and revamping their business model. Medium began in 2012 with the goal of changing how stories on the web worked: They aimed to promote thoughtful writing over quick clickbait. But as Medium founder Ev Williams writes in a post announcing the cuts, “In building out this model, we realized we didn’t yet have the right solution to the big question of driving payment for quality content. . . . To continue on this trajectory put us at risk — even if we were successful, business-wise — of becoming an extension of a broken system.” At New York magazine, Brian Feldman considers what the future of the platform might be: “Medium wants a way for its publishers to make money directly off of their readers. One solution would be the ‘tip jars’ system that video-game streamers on Twitch use—a way to toss a few bucks someone’s way when you like what they’re up to. . . . Another solution would be, well, subscriptions. They worked for magazines and newspapers, didn’t they?”

Comedian and actor John Hodgman has a collection of essays, Vacationland, coming out in October from Viking. The book will be based on the one-man show of the same name. Hodgman, who is currently a columnist for the New York Times and the host of the Judge John Hodgman podcast, wrote on Tumblr that Viking rejected his proposed title: John Hodgman Tells Absolutely, maybe Awfully True Stories as he Sprints Toward Death in Emotionally and Literally Cold Places.

The Academy of American Poets has announced that Ellen Bass, Forrest Gander, Terrance Hayes, and David St. John will be joining the organization’s Board of Chancellors, where they will consult on the academy’s programming and serve as judges for poetry prizes. 

The Manhattan bookshop Book Culture has posted a list of “What to Read in Light of Trump.” Selections include Killing Rage by bell hooks, Freedom is a Constant Struggle by Angela Y. Davis, and How to Survive a Plague by David France.This past November, the store presented a syllabus for understanding the election results, with volumes such as Strangers in Their Own Land by Arlie Russell Hochschild and White Rage by Carol Anderson.