Publishers fret over newspaper cuts
12.02.09 Benedicte Page writing in The Bookseller

Publishers have expressed dismay at the latest blow to the national newspaper books pages, as Independent on Sunday literary editor Suzi Feay’s job was made redundant.
Feay will leave the newspaper in March after 11 years as literary editor, as part of a round of 90 job cuts announced by Independent News and Media.
The development follows the redundancies last December of the Daily Telegraph’s literary editor Sam Leith and John O’Connell at Time Out. The future of the Independent on Sunday’s books pages, which have been cut back in recent weeks, is unclear.

Faber publicity­ director Rachel Alexander said: "We are very concerned about the current situation. Obviously, the big worry is what has happened in the US” (where books pages have seen drastic cuts). She added: "If we begin to lose books pages, books culture will change as a consequence. The impact from reviews on sales is significant and we know the books pages have loyal readerships. There are, of course, many exciting opportunities online, but there will always be a place for good books pages.”
Sceptre pub­licity manager Henry Jeffreys said that with the literary pages under pressure, he was ­making extra use of radio coverage, particularly on BBC Radio 4 and 5, and looking at author features as well as reviews. He said: "Those reviews we do get we have to make more of, using Facebook, Twitter and authors’ own websites to distribute them as widely as possible.”