Cuts in publishing and book reviewing imperil the future of narrative nonfiction • Hacker News Board

Re: Cuts in publishing and book reviewing imperil the future of narrative nonfiction

#21

Post by jfengel » Sun, Mar 29, 2026, 3:52 PM UTC

perching_aix wrote: post #18

jhbadger wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There isn't a technical reason why titles have to be that short, memory isn't in that short supply despite the RAM shortages. A function, therefore an algorithm, is deciding to truncate the title for some reason.

Which you find to be the reasonable explanation over just OP editorializing the title with their own hands because...?

Because the edited title is incoherent and grammatically incorrect.

Until recently that would have marked it as likely done by simplistic automation. These days, it's hard to tell, because humans seem more likely to make simple errors of grammar.

Re: Cuts in publishing and book reviewing imperil the future of narrative nonfiction

#22

Post by abeppu » Sun, Mar 29, 2026, 3:55 PM UTC

wewxjfq wrote: post #20

stogot wrote: post #7

> Nonfiction books are a crucial bulwark against the surging public culture of “alternative facts,” outright lies, and the brazen embrace of ignorance. Do they believe someone cannot lie because it’s written down in a paperback? Authors lie in books and books do nothing to help someone who “embraces” ignorance

The author clearly means professional publishers, who have editors and fact-checkers. Self-published books already lack trust. The reply also misses several other points the author makes, which I find ironic because it kind of goes into the direction the author bemoans: The author wrote a longer article to lay out his thoughts and it sure took him time to write and any reader time to read and digest and here is a qui…

Do publishers really have fact-checkers? My understanding was that support for authors is now relatively minimal, even for established authors, and no one really has the time or resources to second-guess everything an author has claimed. I take as a key example Naomi Wolf learning after her book was "done" that a significant chunk of it was based on a misunderstanding of an admittedly confusing 19th century British legal phrase. https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/05/naomi-wolfs-book-cor...

I think maybe the idea that a single author spending months or years on their research, which the publish as a single bound and polished work is misguided -- an academic trying to do similar work in multiple articles would have gotten review from peers on each article, and hopefully have not spent so much time working under a correctable misunderstanding.

Re: Cuts in publishing and book reviewing imperil the future of narrative nonfiction

#23

Post by jfengel » Sun, Mar 29, 2026, 3:57 PM UTC

bondarchuk wrote: post #9

stogot wrote: post #7

> Nonfiction books are a crucial bulwark against the surging public culture of “alternative facts,” outright lies, and the brazen embrace of ignorance. Do they believe someone cannot lie because it’s written down in a paperback? Authors lie in books and books do nothing to help someone who “embraces” ignorance

This was dead, I vouched for it, I think it's a good point. Form does not determine the truthfulness of content.

It does nod in its direction, though. Or at least it used to. Mass production printing was high overhead, and publishers had reputations to protect. That wasn't perfect but they'd usually try to avoid the worst propaganda.

(Or at least shove it off onto an imprint with less of a reputation. Or into a category, like Self Help, where people know its shaky relationship to truth.)

It was far from perfect. But these days the publishing gatekeepers have largely lost the battle. People prefer the hot takes they get from tv and social media.

Re: Cuts in publishing and book reviewing imperil the future of narrative nonfiction

#24

Post by jfengel » Sun, Mar 29, 2026, 4:04 PM UTC

abeppu wrote: post #22

wewxjfq wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The author clearly means professional publishers, who have editors and fact-checkers. Self-published books already lack trust. The reply also misses several other points the author makes, which I find ironic because it kind of goes into the direction the author bemoans: The author wrote a longer article to lay out his thoughts and it sure took him time to write and any reader time to read and digest and here is a qui…

Do publishers really have fact-checkers? My understanding was that support for authors is now relatively minimal, even for established authors, and no one really has the time or resources to second-guess everything an author has claimed. I take as a key example Naomi Wolf learning after her book was "done" that a significant chunk of it was based on a misunderstanding of an admittedly confusing 19th century British l…

Fact checking as a separate job is more for journalism than books. But editors have fact checking as part of their jobs. (It is not copy-editing, which is a different job.)

Many nonfiction authors will hire a fact checker separately. They don't want to look like they missed something. Errors still happen, of course.

Re: Cuts in publishing and book reviewing imperil the future of narrative nonfiction

#25

Post by simianwords » Sun, Mar 29, 2026, 4:33 PM UTC

stogot wrote: post #7

> Nonfiction books are a crucial bulwark against the surging public culture of “alternative facts,” outright lies, and the brazen embrace of ignorance. Do they believe someone cannot lie because it’s written down in a paperback? Authors lie in books and books do nothing to help someone who “embraces” ignorance

I find that the kind of people who obsess the conspiracy of "alternative facts" are the same people who uncritically take everything presented by modern science as truth. Except when it comes to economics of course!

Re: Cuts in publishing and book reviewing imperil the future of narrative nonfiction

#26

Post by throwaway27448 » Sun, Mar 29, 2026, 4:55 PM UTC

lacunary wrote: post #14

throwaway27448 wrote: post #10

[flagged]

Going back to the late 90s I've been able to consistently buy books I want from my local B&N. I got most of the programming books I used to build my skills that led to my career there. My young adult kids buy books there now. They keep great hours and it's a pleasant experience. I recently went on a whim, at 8pm on a weekday, and found the best novel I've read in years. What am I missing?

I can't say I've had anything like this experience with technical books, non-fiction, and anything but popular fiction. It's just schlock: self-help, best sellers, expensive notebooks and kitschy crap. Each store is organized differently. There is no rhyme or reason to what books are purchased or why, and from a history nerd's perspective, the selection they choose is actively harmful.

I am very happy you had good bookstore experiences! This frustration is earnest and from many failed expectations.

Re: Cuts in publishing and book reviewing imperil the future of narrative nonfiction

#27

Post by perching_aix » Sun, Mar 29, 2026, 5:30 PM UTC

qsera wrote: post #11

stogot wrote: post #7

> Nonfiction books are a crucial bulwark against the surging public culture of “alternative facts,” outright lies, and the brazen embrace of ignorance. Do they believe someone cannot lie because it’s written down in a paperback? Authors lie in books and books do nothing to help someone who “embraces” ignorance

They can lie, but that lie will remain in the books that have gone into circulation. A lie on the internet can be reversed or erased after it has been consumed by millions of human eye balls.

Which is why the Internet Archive, and similar, more specialized services are so important.

Re: Cuts in publishing and book reviewing imperil the future of narrative nonfiction

#28

Post by perching_aix » Sun, Mar 29, 2026, 5:39 PM UTC

simianwords wrote: post #25

stogot wrote: post #7

> Nonfiction books are a crucial bulwark against the surging public culture of “alternative facts,” outright lies, and the brazen embrace of ignorance. Do they believe someone cannot lie because it’s written down in a paperback? Authors lie in books and books do nothing to help someone who “embraces” ignorance

I find that the kind of people who obsess the conspiracy of "alternative facts" are the same people who uncritically take everything presented by modern science as truth. Except when it comes to economics of course!

Do you picture millions reading science journals, or are you willfully conflating media reporting as what's "presented by modern science as truth"?

In my impression people peddling distrust in modern science are not exactly in it to improve its honesty, nor are they calling out genuine gaps most of the time. It's more a side effect if and when it happens at all, with the actual goal being political control play instead.

Re: Cuts in publishing and book reviewing imperil the future of narrative nonfiction

#29

Post by hombre_fatal » Sun, Mar 29, 2026, 5:40 PM UTC

simianwords wrote: post #25

stogot wrote: post #7

> Nonfiction books are a crucial bulwark against the surging public culture of “alternative facts,” outright lies, and the brazen embrace of ignorance. Do they believe someone cannot lie because it’s written down in a paperback? Authors lie in books and books do nothing to help someone who “embraces” ignorance

I find that the kind of people who obsess the conspiracy of "alternative facts" are the same people who uncritically take everything presented by modern science as truth. Except when it comes to economics of course!

People who question modern science don't have a higher epistemic standard.

They just offer something worse, like a youtuber who convinced them that eating plants was bad for them.

Re: Cuts in publishing and book reviewing imperil the future of narrative nonfiction

#30

Post by Gander5739 » Sun, Mar 29, 2026, 5:44 PM UTC

harshreality wrote: post #5

Gander5739 wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not a title algorithm, it's a character limit.

Full title, "...than ever": 64 characters Another title currently on the front page has 74 characters: "The Many Roots of Our Suffering: Reflections on Robert Trivers (1943–2026)"

I stand corrected.