The Publishing Industry Needs Our Support!
The publishing industry always needs the loyal support of us reader-writers. That’s why, for the past few holiday seasons, I have been trying to buy books for all my family…
The publishing industry always needs the loyal
support of us reader-writers. That's why, for the past few holiday
seasons, I have been trying to buy books for all my family and friends
as their gifts. What you have to do is approach them early, then
basically explain what you're doing, and ask them to pass along down any
books or magazine subscriptions they're interested in. If you ask them
and demand a gift suggestion on the spot, they'll draw a blank. So give
them time to think.
Also, keep a list of magazine subscriptions
and books that you yourself want. When friends and family ask what you
want for Christmas, you'll be able to tell them. Maybe take a stroll
around a bookstore to get ideas.
And remember, to truly support the book and magazine industries, please consider buying new
items. When you buy a used item off Amazon, for instance, the only
place benefiting is Amazon, instead of the publishing house or author.

Jane Friedman is a full-time entrepreneur (since 2014) and has 20 years of experience in the publishing industry. She is the co-founder of The Hot Sheet, the essential publishing industry newsletter for authors, and is the former publisher of Writer’s Digest. In addition to being a columnist with Publishers Weekly and a professor with The Great Courses, Jane maintains an award-winning blog for writers at JaneFriedman.com. Jane’s newest book is The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press, 2018).