Backtalk Books’ Mission
The mission of Backtalk Books is right there in its name. This blog is a challenge as much as it’s a celebration of the stories we love. It seeks to push back against two issues plaguing the digital landscape:
- The deprioritizing of book coverage across media. Many outlets have forgone book coverage entirely. The ones that do it don’t have the time or resources to cover anything but the biggest titles. Many book sections sit untouched for months on end. This deprives readers of regular content, and it leaves authors with few outlets to shine a light on their work.
- The undervaluing of writers on a broader scale. In the age of AI, too many companies believe they can cut writers out of the equation to save a buck. We strive to honor the humans behind the stories we love. Likewise, we hope to eventually uphold the voices of critics being pushed out of a shrinking media landscape.
You know how it goes: if you’re mad at the problem, be a part of the solution. We learned that from our favorite book characters. And that brings us to the biggest reason Backtalk Books exists: to highlight the importance of books that talk back themselves – against systems of oppression, unquestioned norms and beliefs, the struggles of everyday life, and everything in-between.
Books are a revolution. That’s why we love them. That’s why they deserve our support and attention.
Meet Your Founding Wench
Amanda Mullen is a pop culture writer and editor who has spent the last 10 years complaining about Game of Thrones Season 8 analyzing TV shows, movies, and books on the internet. She has managed teams, created content plans and schedules, and written hundreds upon hundreds of articles. You can find her bylines at ComicBook, Winter Is Coming, Screen Rant, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Culturess, and Paste Magazine. When Amanda’s not writing, she’s usually either reading (if you couldn’t tell) or testing how much caffeine her body can handle before it explodes.
Amanda would one day like to see the internet become a cool place to be again. Here’s hoping.