"The Stolen Child" Makes it to the Top of the Amazon Best-Seller List With Nary a Professional Review to be Found, Thanks to Great Word-of-Mouth from Amateurs. Is this a Death Knell for the Pros? FASHIONTRIBES POP CULTURE BLOG

By placing a new work of fiction onto the Top 25 list of The New York Times bestsellers, amateur book critics are beginning to demonstrate some major muscle. A podcast on NPR points out that instead of following tradition, the publisher of The Stolen Child emailed bookworms who regularly post their reviews on Amazon.com, asking them if they would be willing to review it. And instead of merely posting excerpts, they offered to post the entire review.

Because a good book review offers more than just a book report - it should act as a launching pad for discussing larger issues - some have criticized the move to amateur criticism. Why? Unlike professional critics who are paid to read books full time, amateurs (with their pesky day jobs) might miss many of the important details. However, smart, independent voices - professional or not - have credibility with many, so whether the traditional media likes it or not, change is afoot. Perhaps it's time to get the memo: a new generation of critics is on the rise.

Hear the podcast at NPR.org.

- Lesley Scott

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