But Does It Move the Needle?
From Book Reviews to Ad Placements, No Campaign Element Is Safe From This Inquiry
Was rough to see yet another book review section get hit with its -30-.
The news about the closure of the Washington Post’s Book World section was abrupt, but ultimately, not surprising. Traditional book review coverage and book review sections have been shrinking or altogether disappearing for as long as I’ve been in book publishing, and the pace has kicked up as of late.
Long gone are the heady days of literary review culture when an entire publication was founded (and still exists over 60 years later) because a group of literary insiders felt that the New York Times book review section lacked intellectual rigor (there was also a newspaper strike going on, and the founders were worried about the void in book coverage…. truly remarkable publishing history that is worth going down the rabbit hole on). I mean, read Elizabeth Hardwick’s seminal essay on the state of the book review from 1959: “The Decline of Book Reviewing,” in which she explains why “a Sunday morning with the book reviews is often a dismal experience.”
1959! We really do endlessly cycle the same conversations, complaints, and “crisis” over and over and over again.
Alas, for many years now in publishing circles we really haven’t had the luxury of just getting twisted up about book reviews that lack the critical goods.
In terms of the current on-the-ground efforts with building and running book campaigns — traditional reviews are like a wonderful bonus, but you can’t count on even one coming through for any particular book. The pipeline of books and the number of review slots is untenable, and this is old hat. You still make the effort to get them (and man, you’ve really got to make sure to be pitching early), but you also work all the other angles, of which there are plenty.
Something positive: The National Book Critics Circle provides an excellent source for learning about recent traditional book review coverage, via their site and Bluesky account. You can see the books being covered, the reviewers doing the reviewing, and the publications that are publishing the reviews. Absolutely worth following along, and then making sure to support and shout out the reviewers and the publications that are doing the hard work of literary criticism.
BUT DO BOOK REVIEWS MOVE THE NEEDLE?
I always appreciate the discourse on the state of book reviews, and naturally it flares up when a major publication ceases coverage. Last August when the AP stopped assigning and publishing book reviews, we saw something similar take over our feeds.
Inevitably, the “But do they move the needle?” inquiry arises.
This part of the discourse I do not appreciate. It’s less a question and more of a comment, and usually comes with an edge of dismissiveness.
All book campaign elements come under the scrutiny of the does it move the needle analysis. We all have the does it move the needle person in our meetings, never failing to ask the question.
The short, blunt answer to this question — for the most part, across the board — is NO, it does not move the needle.
The longer answer is much more nuanced. While [enter campaign element here] is not going to create a sales spike, it’s a helpful and essential building block in the overall campaign — creating additional awareness and momentum, and providing a strong talking point for the author and the team as they continue to sell-in the book and work to secure more media, event, and merchandising opportunities.
I know that comes across as meeting-speak, and I don’t like having to say or write it, but that more calibrated response is, for the most part, true of any and all book campaign elements. There are very few things, in isolation, that “move the needle.”
And yes, of course certain book club picks or morning show/podcast appearances or retailer merchandising programs can and definitely do move the needle, but I want to set those heavy-hitter, rarified gets aside, and stay grounded on the more standard campaign experience.
For most book launches, it takes a collection of elements coming together in a strategic(+charmed) way that, hopefully, builds momentum and starts triggering needle movement.
The variations on what comes together to truly “move the needle” are endlessly shifting and confounding. Add in the variable of capricious reader tastes at any given moment, as well as competing titles and whiplashing, high-speed news cycle distractions, and you are essentially left with an impossible cipher to solve.
While this can be frustrating (and occasionally infuriating), I believe that is exactly what keeps all of this so interesting and invigorating. How fun it is to be in the mix and working to bring some unique amalgamation of elements together — both x-factors and tried-and-true methodologies — to hit a stride and “move the needle.”
Despite my aversion to the inquiry (or perhaps because of it) I am going to add a “Does It Move the Needle?” occasional feature to this newsletter, where I will give a more nuanced insight into how a campaign element actually impacts a book’s trajectory.
The short answer will almost always be NO.
The longer answer will provide a more nuanced insight into how a campaign element actually effects a campaign.
Does a review in a major publications’s arts/book review section move the needle?
Short answer: No.
Nuanced answer: Beyond the positive uptick in reader / industry awareness, it’s very helpful to the overall campaign as a signaling/amplifying device, fortifying the author’s and publishing team’s outreach efforts (usually it’s known that the book is assigned for review/that a review is forthcoming). An example: the sales team is able to flag the review during their book buyer meetings/outreach, helping with sell-in. Once a review is published, a quote from the review can be pulled and used as part of the messaging on product pages, publisher/author sites, promotions/graphics, and eventually, the paperback cover/interior pages. Also, like it or not, there’s a sort of bandwagon effect with review coverage, so if a book is assigned for review/reviewed, it’s an indicator of traction on review/media coverage front. Hence the reason we see the same set of titles/authors each month/season popping up across the book pages landscape. In summary, book reviews are a key component of a book’s overall campaign and very helpful in paperback/backlist/long-tail efforts.
WISDOM & WORDS
Such an honor to be in conversation last week with Darcey Gohring and her Wisdom & Words community for a Writer’s Corner session about developing an author platform in an authentic, and hopefully, stress-free way. You can view our conversation by visiting the post below. I definitely recommend checking out Darcey’s newsletter and joining her weekly virtual sessions — lots of terrific writers, editors and industry folks sharing their knowledge and insights on craft and beyond.
TO CHECK OUT
Fantastic to see Ron Charles, formerly of the Washington Post, continue his vital book coverage via his newsletter.
Tobias Carroll (a prolific reviewer of books!) moderated a virtual panel for the National Book Critics Circle on the topic of newsletters and the future of arts writing. Timely! Features an incredible line-up of editors: Daisy Alioto (Dirt), Ross Barkan (The Metropolitan Review), Maria Bustillos (Flaming Hydra), Juliet Escoria (Zona Motel), and Keith Phipps (The Reveal) Watch it here.
The 2026 Films of Remembrance film festival kicks off on Feb. 21 in San Francisco. Great selections this year, including Dust and Defiant to the Last.
Thanks as always for reading, commenting, and sharing. Let me be that guy at the conference room table: But did this newsletter move the needle?
— Jeffrey Yamaguchi
jeffreyyamaguchi.com
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ABOUT THE WRITER OF THIS NEWSLETTER
Jeffrey Yamaguchi is the former publisher of the Working for the Man zine, where he made good use of the clip art used at the top of this newsletter. He has been running successful book campaigns (and fielding needle-moving inquiries) for 20+ years. Learn more by visiting his website, and get in touch if you’re interested in a campaign or a consult.
Something that reviews definitely create are academic careers—they are used to prove a writer has accomplished enough to be reviewed in a serious outlet, when people are up for tenure and promotion. They’re not just about getting people into the store that day. They’re also hopefully there whenever a reader searches for them, day of publication or many years later. It’s an infrastructure that helps us find each other. I would like to keep that.
Helpful framing as now I am in pre pub land and wondering about what’s worth it