Best book material from around the world

The book world is currently going through a major change. in february this year Washington Post Shut down its books section, known as Book World, among many other editorial operations, leaving a huge gap in the book coverage that readers need in the age of AI recommendations and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). WaPo Book World appears to have folded because of financial constraintsAnd the closure prompted many legacy media outlets to mourn its untimely demise. Publication from the new Yorker To atlantic Expressed regret over the changing scenario of the literary world.

last year, associated Press Ceased publishing weekly book reviewsCiting lack of interest from readers. This is another blow to an industry that demands coverage and audits in the age of automation.

This ultimately begs the big question: What’s happening in the book world?

These significant blows to the literary media landscape force us to examine our approach to traditional book reviews and coverage. Are we still reading them? Or are we getting our news in another form? BookTok, and by extension, BookTube, changed the game during the pandemic. BookTok, in particular, has done wonders in the book world, and it has become a staple in any PR and marketing campaign for new releases. Every day, many readers rely on BookTok for book reviews and recommendations from their fellow readers. Although many people are increasingly turning to audiovisual formats rather than traditional media, they are also getting their content from newspapers and other digital sources.

The book ecosystem probably isn’t dyingAs some lament, rather its components are evolving: primarily in the video, audio and digital spaces.

The list below includes notable booktalkers, bookstagrammers, newsletter publishers, and other digital publications from around the world, each with their own insights and perspectives that offer us a new way of looking at the literary world. Although they are not considered traditional media, they still provide news and updates for their respective communities. The curation they offer is highly specialized and rarely read in the American publishing bubble.

If you’re looking for more ways to discover books outside your communities and broaden your perspective beyond the hegemonic American publishing industry, consider the following notable creators and publishers.

Best book material from around the world

Koji Arasua | @koji.reads (Philippines)

Koji consistently recommends books from different genres in Philippine literature.

Most of the books they recommend are fantasy, horror, science fiction, comics, graphic novels, classics, LGBTQ, true crime, non-fiction, and romance. His content also includes local book events that he frequently attends—book launches, book-to-screen premiere events, and local literary fairs such as the Manila International Book Fair, the Philippine Book Festival, and the Philippine International Comics Festival. If you want to experience the local book scene or discover the latest local releases, he probably knows about them. If you’re on TikTok, you should definitely check her out.

Koji and other booktalkers discuss books mostly from a consumer perspective: quick reviews, rants, book binges, and currently reading lists. So later this year, I will launch Manila Books ReporterA B2B publication that will focus on the business of books and publishing in the Philippines. And, yes, this will include weekly, monthly and quarterly newsletters.

Charmaine @charmaine.reads (Asia)

Charmaine primarily focuses on Asian books of various genres including fantasy, young adult, and adult fiction.

She is not afraid to criticize “problematic” young writers in the fantasy genre. She has strong feelings about defending writers of color in the community, calling out Sarah J Maas and even Rebecca Yaros multiple times in her TikTok videos.

In a series of viral TikToks, she promotes books by women and authors of color in the fantasy field, emphasizing the importance of reading beyond one’s own perspective.

Andrea Catalina Jaramillo | @andreajaramolo6 (Colombia)

Andrea, a Colombian bookstagrammer and founder of Bogotá-based independent bookstore La Verbena, posts about books by Latin authors.

All the books on his account are in Spanish. In fact, he has a long series of posts highlighting 30 books from different Latin American countries, including Cuba, Venezuela, Uruguay, Guatemala, Argentina, Chile, Honduras, and Brazil. A book tells the stories of trans people who disappeared during the regime of dictator Augusto Pinochet in Chile, a book from Ecuador describes domestic abuse, and a rare account of Paraguay’s dictator.

The goal of this series is to provide insight into Latin America from writers whose works have had a significant impact. Not only does she have an online presence, but she also hosts literary events at her bookstore.

Feminist Fiction Berlin | @feminist.fiction.berlin (Germany)

It is a feminist book club based in Berlin. They organize monthly events such as creative writing classes, panels, discussions, and open readings.

They often feature feminist literature in English, primarily by European authors. In their posts, they explore topics like sex work, systematic oppression, anger, and resistance, and even include books to read if you want to “actively understand and unlearn whiteness.”

In addition, they highlight witchcraft and witches, feminist classics, and newly translated fiction and non-fiction books.

brittle paper (Africa)

It is one of the two best literary websites for African literature along with WritingAfrica.com.

Consider it Africa’s version Publishers Weekly. They do not have a dedicated newsletter, but they publish literary news, cover reveals, author profiles, poems, short stories, and other long-form literary features.

It is an excellent destination for those interested in current and best-selling African literature as it provides a view of their publishing landscape.

Spinoff: Books Section (New Zealand)

This New Zealand-based website covers a wide range of topics including politics, culture, criticism and more. They also have a book section including a newspaper called the Rec Room.

Their coverage is very localised, focusing mostly on bestseller charts, profiles, awards and recommendations, as well as reviews of books published in New Zealand. Examples of recent coverage include the story of the National Library of New Zealand not paying hundreds of writers on time; a revelation about a vanity publisher operating in his country that may have offshore operations in the UK and Pakistan; a creative writing program that allows incarcerated women to write poems; and the dilemma of moving a local bookstore’s 250,000 books to a new location.

If you want to take a look at New Zealand’s publishing landscape, this is an excellent resource to check out.

National Swadeshi Times: Books Section (Australia)

NIT is an Australian online outlet that covers Indigenous issues, and also has a section dedicated to books.

Their book coverage focuses primarily on news, awards and new releases related to indigenous publishing in Australia. The literary field features Tiwi, Kooma, First Nations, Pasifika, Yamatji and many other unrepresented writers. They also appear to cover some of Papua New Guinea’s indigenous publishing sector.

Their field is very specific, and it is rare to find resources on indigenous publishing in Oceania.

The Black Archives (Netherlands)

Although not strictly a newspaper, it is a non-profit venue/historical archive for black literature “from black and other perspectives that are often overlooked elsewhere”. Their website says they document the history of black liberation movements and individuals in the Netherlands.

In fact, they have book collections, archives, and artifacts that are the legacy of Black Dutch writers, including approximately 20,000 books on racism and race issues, slavery and colonialism, gender and feminism, and a wide range of other topics that are not covered in the mainstream media.

They also organize exhibitions, writing workshops and literary discussions in Amsterdam.

Although the bookish world is gradually losing access to traditional media like newspapers and print magazines, the conversation continues to take place elsewhere. Goodreads, the undisputed home of reader reviews, remains relevant, and so do many other platforms like The Storygraph and Fable. The conversation is simply taking a different form than what we saw in the literary salons of years past.

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