The following observation comes from reader and librarian Jessamyn West:
The newish Woodrow Wilson biography [published by Simon & Schuster] comes with a whole bunch of photographs in the center of it. All of them have been colorized and, to my eye, AI ‘smoothed’ and retouched. This is just close enough to when color photography became used that I think the decision to colorize (which is only mentioned in the back credits, as far as I can tell) was an odd one and likely confusing to readers who will think the photos were originals. Anyhow, it’s been stuck in my craw and I found it curious. Here’s a little post I made on social about it. And the link directly to the photo gallery. I guess I’m just wondering: Is this kind of normal now? I don’t notice anyone mentioning it in the reviews I skimmed, except one mentioning that it has color photos. I’m really surprised more people haven’t said anything.
If anyone has insights to share about this practice—especially in researched nonfiction books like this one—I’d love to hear from you.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
