164. No Courage, No Convictions: Trade Publication Cancels Promo for Book with "Israel" in Title

Let’s say you want to promote a book and you have a little ad money to burn. If you are author and communications consultant Melanie Notkin, you might contact Shelf Awareness, which sends free newsletters to, per its Instagram bio, “booksellers, librarians, publishers, book collectors, literary antiquarians, and everyone else who loves to read.” Shelf Awareness publisher Matt Balducci was happy to run the promo, for the U.S. release of Bernard-Henri Lévy's latest book… until two days later, when he emailed Melanie to say they were cancelling the ad.

“I’ve never been denied the ability to pay for an ad in any outlet,” says Notkin, who knew, before she spoke with Balducci — a conversation Notkin recorded — that he was backing out because of one of the words in the book’s two-word title, and it wasn’t “Alone.”

Francesca Block at The Free Press reported on the story earlier today. Here, Notkin picks up the conversation, including:

• Is the anti-Israeli movement contracting or going underground?

• Pro tip: When you basically tell someone you’re caving to the mob, maybe try not to sound patronizing

• The shadow-banning of books and authors leads nowhere good

• Quick: A group of masked people on the subway chant, “Raise your hand if you’re a Zionist!” What do you do?

• “I don’t want to live in a world where my friend denounces me.”

• #nevershuttingup

Plus, big love for Douglas Murray, when intolerance becomes a show of valor, and did casual Fridays ruin everything?