Publishing At The Dinner Table

I’ve noticed that some of the new book covers don’t have recommendations by established authors and newspapers. Publishers just use paragraphs from the book itself, to entice readers.

This is a good move by the few publishing houses still standing, despite the deluge of e-books. Recommendation is a bad tradition because of its foundation: class. It is like the dinner table at The Everglades, The Pines, The Gables or other English mansions with a name.

The author went to public school with the host, who is his brother-in-law. The host’s wife is a Countess whose grandfather fled to Sweden or England because of the Russian Revolution. The owner of the local millinery shop at the table, is married to a nice fellow who has a modest publishing house in the City. One guest is a famous playwright. Another has a 'society page’ - basically a gossip column - in the local weekly newspaper.

Therefore class determined who got published. Esteemed people at other dinner tables, reviewed new books between passing the gravy boat and the pudding.

The dinner table now includes former ballerinas, beauty queens, actors, former prime ministers and presidents, former U.S. First Ladies, T.V. hosts and music moguls, but the selling point is still the same. Publishers ask other authors to write a line or two about why this new book is a must-read.

Let’s say Gigabyte Memory the famous writer, made famous by the dinner table writes a line recommending it. There's a reminder that he's the author of Rude Virus .

Gigabyte Memory does not do charity. He is also selling Rude Virus. I will buy the new book because he has blessed it. We’ll talk about it during the summer at our cottage in Martha’s Vineyard.

Therefore, recommendations by established authors is a perpetuation of the dinner table and signs that it is on the wane, is good news.

This is another ‘written podcast’ by Nonqaba waka Msimang.