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"Men in the Off Hours" by Anne Carson
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Yet Arnold is far from being an amateur. An award-winning journalist who has been on the Times' staff since 1959, Arnold has served as an assignment editor on the metropolitan desk, the founding editor of both the media department and the now-defunct law page and the deputy editor of the New York Times Magazine. In 1997, after a yearlong stint as associate style editor, Arnold was named senior editor on the culture desk, where he edits Critic's Notebook and Art in America among other features, and began his book-publishing column a month later.

"Joe Lelyveld [the executive editor of the Times ] came to me with the idea for the column," explains Arnold, "and Darnton wanted a book presence on the culture desk." Darnton says he felt that Arnold's earlier post as head of the media department -- which previously included publishing -- made him an obvious choice for a column whose objective is to provide a window into the publishing process for readers, as Darnton stresses, not industry insiders.

Nevertheless, publishing people make up a core audience for "Making Books," and many of them long for the return of the industry column "Book Notes," which faded away after Darnton was named culture editor in 1996. "When Sarah Lyall did her weekly 'Book Notes' column, it was the first thing I'd look for," one agent reminisces. The marketing director agrees: "Both Sarah Lyall and Doreen Carvajal provided a perfect blend of insight and compelling news." In 1995, Lyall moved to London to live with her new husband, former Faber editor in chief Robert McCrum, and Mary Tabor kept up the weekly column until its eventual dissolution.

One Times reporter is careful to assert that "'Making Books' is not the replacement for 'Book Notes.'" According to Darnton, whose department's publishing sections include "Writers on Writing," the daily book review and Arnold's column, "We have no plans at this time to extend the culture desk [coverage of publishing] or to bring back 'Book Notes.'"

Meanwhile, industry people are baffled by the lack of concern the Times has demonstrated for the column. "I would think that the culture desk must have heard some criticism by now -- it's not like this is happening in a vacuum," says one publishing insider. "The Times' historical lack of interest in the publishing industry allows Martin Arnold a freer hand. I mean, it can't all be blamed on Martin Arnold. The coverage has never been sterling."

One Times reporter says that the paper thinks "a good reporter can effectively report on anything well, and it is generally believed that it is good to get a wide variety of experience." This reporter adds, "The paper really stresses youth, energy and availability. The sense that I get about the perception of older reporters, though, is that they've lost their edge, so they get moved to easier beats." Another Times insider explains that "as reporters grow older, they tend to go on one of four routes: [They move] through the editorial ranks, become specialists or work on long-term investigative projects, or they get put out to pasture by working on more feature-y pieces." Because the paper is unionized, it is extremely rare for a reporter to get fired, and the Times is notorious for keeping old "Timesmen" around long after they've become ineffective.

None of the Times insiders could say if Arnold was effectively put "out to pasture" with "Making Books," but one was quick to clarify that "in previous years, the culture desk was considered a plum position, and the older reporters that moved to the desk were being rewarded for years of hard work. But this is no longer the case now that Darnton and [projects editor] Martin Gottlieb are here. They have expanded the coverage by leaps and bounds, with more breaking news stories than ever about the arts."

While the culture desk has, in fact, expanded its film, fashion, television and theater sections, many readers have noticed the shrinking coverage of the publishing industry. Notes one publishing insider, "From what I can tell, the New York Times does not think of publishing as an interesting enough industry to warrant coverage. Publishing simply does not bring in the advertising the way fashion and other cultural subjects do."

"Maybe the Times feels guilty for their lack of publishing industry coverage, but they devote more time to interviewing minor movie and television stars than they do authors," sighs the marketing director. The Random House editorial director concurs: "If the paper wants to do a service to the publishing industry, they would write about authors."

Laments the senior editor at Bertelsmann Group, "I don't understand the poor coverage. Books are interesting, and publishing is an integral part of New York's culture."
salon.com | April 5, 2000

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