Why today’s publishers fear Goodreads more than government

In “That Book Is Dangerous,” author Adam Szetela examines the rise of the “Sensitivity Era” in publishing and how outrage campaigns try to control what books authors can write and readers can read.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Social media backlash and review-bombing are increasingly leading to books being delayed, revised, or canceled before release.

  
  

• This has created a culture of self-censorship in publishing, one in which even progressive authors are being silenced by public outcry on the left.

  
  

• While rooted in good intentions to promote diversity and sensitivity, the movement has evolved into a moral panic that risks stifling creativity and narrowing the bounds of free expression.