Texas Observer reader,
Books. That’s right—it’s 2025, and I’m using the medium of a print magazine to talk to you about the even longer words-on-paper form that is the book. Why? Because I have the business acumen of someone who edits a small progressive news outlet, in Texas mind you, while having absolutely zero more lucrative backup plans. Qué será, será.
Truly, though, an unanticipated pleasure of becoming editor of this magazine has been needing to fill the so-called back of the book (“book” now meaning magazine—my lord, what am I doing here!), where the quirky culture features, travel dispatches, and book reviews live. I now find myself receiving more and more PR solicitations for books coverage, and even as I know this signals an industry chasing an ever-shrinking target, it’s kind of heartening. People, Texans well represented among them, are still writing a ton of interesting books!
