i outlines plans for books coverage

The i’s arts editor Alice Jones has outlined the newspaper’s plans for book reviews under the newspaper’s new ownership.

The i newspaper was sold to Johnston Press from ESI Media Group in February for £25m. Around the time, its editor Olly Duff told The Bookseller “the i's books coverage will not only continue but increase. Our readers have been asking for more.”

Arts editor Alice Jones, who stepped up from her position as deputy arts editor at the title, will now be handling the books coverage along with her deputy Hugh Montgomery.

Jones said: “There will be a guaranteed double-page spread of books as part of the FRiDAY arts section each week - more than there used to be in i. That spread will be made up of two lead reviews, a medium review, three shorter reviews, a 'One Minute With' author interview and a 'Picture Book of the Week' story.

"The copy will be written by staff writers on i, freelance reviewers (many of whom will be recognised from The Independent's books coverage) and syndicated reviews from The Independent online, Evening Standard and Johnston Press sister publications like the Yorkshire Post and The Scotsman. There is a small budget each week for unique i reviews.

"In addition, we are running at least one books feature, interview or extract a week on the daily arts pages of i, Monday to Thursday.”

The Private Eye recently criticised the newspaper’s books coverage as doing “precious little to make up for the loss” of the Independent’s literary sections. However, Jones rejected that assertion as being “riddled with inaccuracies”.

At the time the The Independent and The Independent on Sunday newspapers' closures were revealed, publishers reacted with shock and sadness.

Bethan Jones, head of publicity at Vintage, and chair of the Publishers' Publicity Circle, said: "This is really sad news for all of us - the Independent and Indy on Sunday's books and culture pages were some of the most excellent, varied and thought-provoking.  The newspaper was also a brilliant champion of international literature, recommending new voices from around the world to UK readers through its annual Independent Foreign Fiction Prize. I really hope these values will be carried forward in its online incarnation."