Bestselling writer, Simon Winchester, starts small-town paper

By Erin L. Cox

In the hamlets of America and even in big cities, the print news industry is declining. While book publishers are finding a way to work with the eBook industry, the threat of blog-news and 24-hour news cycle is hurting print editions of major newspapers and closing papers in small towns and hamlets around the country.

But, one community is fighting back. International best-selling writer, Simon Winchester is starting a local newspaper named for the tiny western Massachusetts town in which he lives, The Sandisfield Times. Done in letterpress by he and his wife, Setsuko Winchester, The Sandisfield Times will be a monthly paper, run by volunteers, and not-for-profit.

In an interview with the BBC, Winchester says of local newspapers, “Some are run for money, some for fun, but mostly run because a few people have come to realise that if we do not do something, small villages like ours are going to slip through the meshes of the internet and become forgotten.” The first edition of his paper will be out in April.

What can YOU do to help encourage print journalism in your town?

About the Author

Erin L. Cox

Erin L. Cox is the Publisher of Publishing Perspectives. She has spent more than 25 years on the business development and promotional side of the publishing industry, working in book publicity at Scribner and HarperCollins, advertising sales and marketing at The New Yorker, and consulting with publishers, literary organizations, book fairs, writers, and technology companies serving the publishing industry. Cox is also the Publisher of Words & Money, a new media site focused on centering libraries in the publishing conversation.