No More AP Book Reviews

One of the hardest things to do, especially as a new author, is to convince a reader to take a chance—spend their hard-earned money and their even harder-earned free time—on your book. Book reviews have always been one of the best ways to get in front of potential readers. That’s why so many authors, myself included, are forever begging you to drop a few words about what you thought of our books on Amazon. Even a sentence. Even a “Hey, didn’t hate it.”

For decades, the Associated Press filled that role on a bigger stage. Their book reviews connected countless authors and readers. They could make a mid-list author into a household name or at least keep the lights on while you worked on the next one. And now they’re done. Shutting down the whole operation.

It’s a gut punch, not just for authors but for readers, too. And it’s happening at a weird moment—book sales are up. Independent bookstores are having a bit of a revival as people get tired of feeding Amazon, whose multi-billionaire owner Jeff Bezos currently looks like a Bond villain while actively trying to bully the 007 franchise into casting his latest flame as the next Bond girl.

We’ll adapt, I guess. We always do. But the AP was a rare thing—a trusted, independent voice in a world where “book coverage” now mostly means sponsored TikToks or listicles written by interns who haven’t read past the dust jacket. When those voices go quiet, the space they leave doesn’t stay empty, it gets filled with noise. And the signal’s already fading.

---