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Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.
Book Influencers Predicting the Next Big Thing
Elle tapped some of the big book influencers of our day for predictions on the next big thing in books. I saw lots of familiar faces among the 21 chiming in and the piece itself was fun. I had to throw a wry smile at the first prediction: “Influencer Dominance.” Firstly, yes, influencers would predict that, but also, yes, 2024’s BookTok-driven romantasy boom had big publishers throwing big dollars at the genre and cranking out those books as fast as they could. I don’t see publishing’s interest in what the influencers are saying and reading waning any time soon. The second prediction–“Diversifying Platforms”–is also already playing out. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out my octogenarian nani has a Substack at this point, and YouTube remains a formidable content, audience, and revenue generator for creators even as new platforms come into play. You can read all of the predictions and check out a list of some great books these influencers recommend in the piece by Lauren Puckett-Pope.
Bookshop.org Now Offers eBooks
Bookshop.org has made it easy for readers to purchase physical books from the independent book sellers of their choosing, and now they’ve expanded their offerings to include eBooks. You can also read the eBooks you purchase directly on Bookshop’s web browser or through their new app. It’s a smart move that’s sure to make existing customers happy for an eBook purchasing option through a familiar and trusted source, and one that could bring in new, eBook-focused readers who are enthusiastic about supporting indie shops–not to mention Bookshop and indie book sellers having the chance to profit from the format. I can tell you that as an audiobook dominant reader, I was thrilled when Libro.fm launched. It sounds like there are plans, or at least hopes, to expand features offered to customers, including a subscription service, and Bookshop might be entering the fray with other digital companies attempting to compete with Goodreads.
The Story of an Effort to Revive 3 Libraries in Kenya
In the documentary How to Build a Library, Angela Wachuka and Wanjiru ‘Shiro’ Koinange try to decolonize three libraries in Kenya, faced with books predominantly written by white authors using outdated language about the African population and buildings and furnishings in disrepair, as well as a government that runs on flattery and the spotlight. The film’s Directors Maia Lekow and Christopher King go on the long journey with the writer-publisher duo who are seemingly transformed by the bureaucracy and logistical hurdles. This review is a bit of a spoiler so don’t read it if you’d rather watch the thing first, but it sounds like a story of hard lessons, beautiful dreams, and a passion for welcoming literary spaces.
The Winners of This Year’s Big Children’s Book Awards
Be still my beating heart. Since delivering my twins into the world just over a year ago, my love of children’s books has been jumpstarted, so I had to keep my purchasing finger at bay when I read through the sizable list of this year’s winners of the Youth Media Awards. You might be more familiar with the names of the medals for the various categories: Caldecott, (the ever misspelled) Newbery, maybe even the Printz. I won’t steal the thunder from this post celebrating the winners and honors, but I’m definitely picking up Chooch Helped illustrated by Rebecca Lee Kunz, written by Andrea L. Rogers.
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