As the year draws to a close, the annual ritual of compiling 'best books of the year' lists is upon us. For a professional book critic, this exercise in 2025 comes with a pressing question: what is the true value of a reviewer in an era where social media is saturated with reading recommendations from influencers? Does the paid critic, a dwindling tribe in media, hold any sway when public taste is increasingly curated by algorithms and personalities promoting books for cash or clout?
The Shrinking Space for Serious Criticism
This existential query feels particularly urgent in the Indian context, where the market for English-language books is notably smaller than for Indian language publications, rendering the reviewer's role even more niche. Over two decades as a critic and editor, the landscape has transformed dramatically. The prophesied eclipse of print by digital platforms has materialised. Writing styles have become chattier, more opinionated. The space dedicated to book reviews has shrunk in mainstream media, first migrating to blogs and now dominantly residing on social media platforms like Instagram.
Today, a well-argued, nuanced review of a new book is often displaced by quick-consumption content. Think of reels advising how to organise bookshelves by colour to beat a reading slump, or influencers parroting publisher-provided talking points on camera. The standard has become an aesthetic photo of a novel beside a cup of coffee and wilting flowers, captioned with generic praise. As Lounge columnist Sandip Roy highlighted earlier this year, such promotional 'reviews' often come with a clear rate card, available for a price to any willing author or publisher.
Gatekeepers, Nepotism, and the Silver Lining
The responsibility for this lowered bar does not lie with influencers alone. The publishing industry itself is complicit. Consider the proliferation of literature festivals. Over the years, invitations are increasingly dictated by sponsorship deals, nepotism, and a public appetite for celebrity worship. Actors, politicians, and sportspersons headline as 'crowd-pullers,' while a recurring list of sycophants fills the remaining slots. A telling anecdote involves an internationally acclaimed writer of four books being asked by their Indian publisher to personally request an invitation from a festival director—a stark example of ego-massage as a ticket to access.
Despite these practices, there is a perceived silver lining. The democratisation of book talk across platforms, free from the gatekeeping of snooty critics and booksellers, should theoretically fuel a vibrant reading culture and boost sales. Yet, publishers and sellers of English-language books in India consistently lament declining sales. The correlation between an author's personal brand and actual business generated remains unpredictable. This hasn't stopped editors from aggressively commissioning books from influencers with massive followings—individuals who may share compelling thoughts online but often lack the skill to weave a coherent book-length narrative.
Industry insiders reveal a telling shift in acquisition meetings. A decade ago, an editor's primary focus was the manuscript's merit, with social media clout mentioned as a final bonus. Today, the process is often reverse-engineered: a subpar book by a writer with a sizable online following stands a better chance of publication than a superior work by someone with a modest digital footprint.
The 'Duty of Scepticism' vs. The 'Puddle of Treacle'
Professional critics are not blameless in this dilution of discourse. Many have traded in-depth evaluation for anodyne interviews and effusive profiles, peppered with relatable trivia about a writer's habits (Tea or coffee? Longhand or laptop?) to garner likes and shares—serving both the media platform's metrics and the publisher's advertising needs.
Booker Prize-winning translator Deepa Bhasthi notes, "These days so many reviews, especially on social media, rarely go beyond a gist and what the reviewer felt... I miss [critical engagement]." This sentiment echoes a long history of concern. In 2019, critic Christian Lorentzen wrote in Harper's Magazine about journalism's 'duty of scepticism' being replaced by a 'class of journalists drunk on the gush.' He was building on Elizabeth Hardwick's seminal 1959 essay, 'The Decline of Book Reviewing,' where she lamented that books were 'born into a puddle of treacle.'
In response to such anti-intellectualism, Hardwick and others founded the New York Review of Books in 1963, championing the 'review essay'—a deep, contextual, and intellectually rigorous engagement with a work. Philosopher-novelist Sundar Sarukkai argues that a review should place a book within a tradition, discuss its uniqueness and limitations, not merely act as a sales mechanism. "The critic trains the perception of the reader," he explains.
In India, critics like Richard Bartholomew, Arvind Krishna Mehrotra, and Shanta Gokhale were luminous writers themselves, their reviews standing as literary pieces. That tradition has waned, pressured by digital media's demand for easily digestible, shareable content.
The Precarious Future: Reader vs. Reviewer
It would be unfair to dismiss trends like 'Bookstagram' entirely. Influencers bring undeniable vibrancy and visibility to reading, especially as mainstream media coverage shrinks. However, their ubiquity blurs a crucial line. While sharing opinions is free, there is a distinct difference between a reader with strong views and a professional critic, whose role is to analyse, contextualise, and present a dispassionate evaluation with the right vocabulary.
The economic reality further skews this balance. A top bookstagrammer can potentially make a living, while a freelance critic, after hours of reading and writing, often earns a pittance in today's strained media landscape. The one form of review that can rival a viral reel's reach is the hatchet job—but it, like its overly glowing opposite, mimics social media's logic of instant, binary judgement (Love/Hate, Good/Bad).
This is precisely where the conscientious critic must carve a space. Beyond the thumbs-up/down emoji and transient applause, the critic's role is to navigate subtleties, provoke thoughtful conversation, and help readers engage with a book on a deeper level. To stay relevant and provide unique value to the ecosystem, professional critics must look beyond internet virality and protect the golden rules of their trade: scepticism, context, and a deep, abiding care for the written word.
