The Bookseller: Sensationalist Journalism or ‘The Heart of Publishing?’
The Bookseller describes itself as ‘the heart of publishing,’ having been the business magazine of the industry since 1858. However, given that the magazine still exists as a source of news, journalistic sensationalism still takes place in the publication. As such, to what extent can we trust that The Bookseller is truly ‘the heart of publishing,’ and not just another headline-grabbing form of media?
Given that a trade magazine is intended to ‘advance a profession or industry,’ rather than ‘inform and entertain about current events’ like a consumer magazine, it is perhaps surprising that The Bookseller regularly employs sensationalistic journalistic techniques (Library Guides, 2020). A brief analysis of the magazine exhibits shows the following:
Dramatization:
- ‘Where the Crawdads Sing surges to the top’
- ‘Pandemic-Hit’
- ‘Widespread fears’
- ‘Deprived of the vital backing of physical bookshops, which were shuttered by and large’
- ‘Fears raised again’
- ‘Proposed cuts at the institution sparked uproar’
Clickbait:
- ‘Like a lot of white folks, I’ve been wary of writing Black characters’
- ‘”Will I wake up?” “There’s a 50:50 chance”’
- Rowling controversy’
- ‘Second controversy over Naomi Wolf’s Outrages’
Informal language and phrases:
Similar language and techniques can be seen in tabloid newspapers such as The Sun. As shown in Image 1, a brief scan on the homepage shows clickbait such as ‘Brits will NEVER go to work with a cough or cold again,’ and dramatizing headlines such as ‘LIFT OFF’ being employed. As such, it is evident that there are some similarities between The Bookseller’s and The Sun’s journalism style.
However, if we look to The Bookseller’s homepage (Image 2), it appears to be much more similar to that of broadsheet newspaper The Guardian (Image 3) and trade magazine The Lawyer (Image 4). Factual language is used, and clickbait is not overtly apparent. Similarly to The Lawyer, there is a section for relevant industry jobs and topics focus solely on those relevant to the industry.
It therefore appears that although sensationalist techniques are employed by The Bookseller, they are employed rarely, and only in topics that might evoke emotion (e.g ‘Michael Rosen | ‘I don’t think I realised, until maybe August, how ill I’d been’) or stir anger (e.g. ‘Four Authors Leave Blair Partnership Over Rowling Controversy’).
Given this analysis, it is perhaps more prudent to summarise that The Bookseller is indeed partially ‘the heart of publishing,’ but is simply employs sensationalist techniques because of the industry it is in. Unlike The Lawyer, The Bookseller caters to the arts industry which (generally) has a more creative-thinking audience. The magazine can therefore enjoy some leeway in its journalism. And so to answer ‘to what extent can we trust that The Bookseller is truly ‘the heart of publishing’: Yes, it is. And it can use sensationalism because of this very position.
References
Eyre, C. (2021). ‘Melvin Burgess | “Like a Lot of White Folks, I’ve Been Wary of Writing Black Characters’, The Bookseller. Available at: Melvin Burgess | ‘Like a lot of white folks, I’ve been wary of writing Black characters’ | The Bookseller [Accessed 19 February 2021].
Chandler, M & Cowdrey, K. (2021). ‘Fears Raised Again Over Brexit’s European Rights Impact’, The Bookseller. Available at: Fears raised again over Brexit’s European rights impact | The Bookseller [Accessed 19 February 2021].
Chandler, M. (2021). ‘Welsh Government Announces £2.25m Rescue for National Library of Wales’, The Bookseller. Available at: Welsh government announces £2.25m rescue for National Library of Wales | The Bookseller [Accessed 19 February 2021].
Cowdrey, K. (2020). ‘Four Authors leave Blair Partnership Over Rowling Controversy’, The Bookseller. Available at: Four authors leave Blair Partnership over Rowling controversy | The Bookseller [Accessed 19 February 2021).
O’Brien, K. (2021). ‘Amazon Charts: Where the Crawdads Sing Surges To The Top’, The Bookseller. Available at: Amazon Charts: Where the Crawdads Sing surges to the top | The Bookseller [Accessed 19 February 2021].
Sanderson, C. (2020). ‘Michael Rosen | “I don’t think I realised, until maybe August, how ill I’d been”’, The Bookseller. Available at: https://www.thebookseller.com/profile/michael-rosen-i-don-t-think-i-realised-until-maybe-august-how-ill-i-d-been-1230607 [Accessed 19 February 2021].
Tivnan, T. (2021). ‘Debut Fiction Did Well in Pandemic-Hit 2020’, The Bookseller. Available at: Debut fiction did well in pandemic-hit 2020 | The Bookseller [Accessed 19 February 2021].
University of Washington Libraries. 2020. Library Guides: Savvy Info Consumers: What are Scholarly, Popular, & Trade Publications? [online] Available at: <https://guides.lib.uw.edu/research/evaluate/sources> [Accessed 17 February 2021].
