"Why Isn't My Book Getting Reviewed by the Minneapolis Star Tribune?" and Other Burning Questions

It might be wise to grab your calculator for this statistic: According to publishers, approximately 3 million books hit the market annually in the U.S. However, the Minnesota Star Tribune only has room to review around 300 to 400 titles. This means they aren't able to feature about 2,999,600 books—give or take—a year.

This indicates that certain choices have to be determined. Herein lies the tale of their determination.

Consider the month of June. During this period, we got 179 books intended for adult readers (a mix that includes titles I personally requested along with others sent our way in anticipation of reviews; roughly speaking, I go through approximately 60-70 books weekly).

Because we ran a Summer sneak peek that raced through 24 titles earlier this month We managed to include additional books this time compared to what’s typical, yet it accounted for only a portion of the total 179 titles. This selection represented an even tinier percentage when considering all the June releases I got pitch emails about from publishers. On average, I receive approximately 50 such emails daily, equating to roughly 2,500 monthly or over 3,000 distinct books every year along with their corresponding 30,000 pitches. It can feel somewhat overwhelming.

A method for authors aiming to appear in newspapers is to hail from Minnesota, although this doesn’t ensure success. The region encompassing the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota boasts a remarkably dynamic literary community, featuring numerous key publishing houses, many independent bookshops, the birthplace of the Little Free Library initiative in Saint Paul, disproportionately strong book sales (with both Saint Paul and Minneapolis ranking within the top ten nationally), among other highlights. book clubs then you could wave a library card around.

Clearly, The Star Tribune aims to maintain its leading position. A significant aspect of this strategy involves featuring Minnesota authors through reviews or author interviews, rather than focusing solely on well-known figures like Louise Erdrich , William Kent Krueger, Kate DiCamillo and Star Tribune Artist of Honor Kao Kalia Yang yet also dynamic emerging talents like those from Mounds View’s Mubanga Kalimamukwento and fantasy/horror writer Emma Törzs .

A significant number of Minnesota-based books often go unnoticed by major national media outlets. Therefore, the Star Tribune makes efforts to ensure these works receive local recognition. However, this also means that I frequently must decline offers; at minimum once daily, I receive emails starting with "I'm a Minnesota author with a recently published book." While I manage to feature some, numerous others either lack broader appeal, overlap with previously highlighted titles, or are independently published—although we do consider pieces from several small publishing houses. Graywolf Or at the Coffee House, but our book policy states that we do not review self-published titles).

Clearly, I do not go through every single book we receive. Many can be immediately identified as ones we won't likely address ("Ergonomics in the Age of AI" falls into this category). However, some titles catch my attention right away; for instance, whenever Pulitzer Prize recipient Erdrich releases a new work, you can bet we'll cover it. Yet, with the majority of books, they typically have to pass what I call the 50-page mark before deciding whether we will feature them or not.

Whenever I request advanced copies from publishers, I ensure I go through at least the initial fifty pages or so to assess their merit for coverage. This method isn’t perfect—I dislike abandoning any book, regardless of quality—but it has led me to discover many excellent pieces such as "Obligations to the Wounded" by Kalimamukwento and last year’s thrilling work. “Headshot” And it has spared you the trouble of reading many disappointing ones.

My preferences do play a role in the decision-making process. You might've observed that we're publishing an increasing number of reviews for mystery and thriller novels. This shift is due in part to my awareness that many of our readers enjoy these genres, but also because I personally appreciate them as well. However, whenever I'm making choices, I strive to consider what would be most beneficial for our audience. Even if tackling A 1,000-page volume on Mark Twain I understand that many readers admire the author, Ron Chernow, who wrote "Alexander Hamilton," and I am quite thankful that my coworker Kevin Duchschere was enthusiastic about tackling this task.

When fortune favors me, authors like Kevin reach out asking for permission to review a highly anticipated book. This section requires an equilibrium between fiction and nonfiction pieces, along with contributions from critics representing various cultural backgrounds. Both staffers at the newspaper and multiple freelance contributors provide reviews for this segment; thus, their interests play a crucial role in determining what gets included—or excluded. For instance, when attempting to engage three reviewers for one of the major releases expected during springtime, none showed significant enthusiasm—even after two had completed a rigorous 50-page assessment—resulting in silence more deafening than crickets could ever be.

It’s not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes, a book we expected to be fantastic ends up being disappointing (like Susan Choi’s “Flashlight” Earlier this month). However, the key point regarding everyone writing for the books section is as follows: Our aim with each book we cover is for it to be excellent, and indeed, most of them meet that criteria.

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