Susan Hawthorne

A Manifesto for Independent Publishing

Bibliodiversity

Maggie Gordon

Bibliodiversity is about a subject near and dear to my heart: the health and growth of the publishing industry. Hawthorne's manifesto is about growing the industry in a manner that requires more than just looking at how many books are sold. Instead, she advocates for diversity in content which requires diversity in publishing companies. The big corporations will not take risks on things like poetry or first time authors doing something innovative. Thus, small publishers ensure that more voices are heard. This is not an uncommon argument, and I think it is an important issue to talk about. As books are seem more and more as mere commodities, what is available, truly available, diminishes. How many people read past the top 40 list? Do you rely on Amazon recommends? How are our reading habits shaped by companies who want to sell us things? This is a super interesting and very concerning conversation. 

Hawthorne spends a great deal of time talking about the concept of bibliodiversity, and while I buy the concept, her proofs were... less than convincing. She tries to connect publishing issues with major social justice issues. I believe this can be done, but she doesn't tie the different subjects together well. For instance, she claims that the modern publishing industry contributes to the objectification of women and even smaller publishers are dabbling in pornography. I most certainly think that there are gendered implications in how books are published, but Hawthorne doesn't flesh out these arguments or back them up with facts or examples. She flip flops between talking specifically about the culture of book publishing, then shifts to sex work and trafficking without acknowledging what a jump that is. 

In any case, it was an interesting read with a lot of sources. The text is certainly coming from a left/progressive perspective, though the author should take care to make more of her points clear, particularly to readers who may not be so informed about her areas of expertise.

Bibliodiversity A Manifesto for Independent Publishing

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