Within a year or two, my leap of faith seemed to be vindicated: All signs pointed to us gaining (and keeping) readers at Book World. We were publishing more and attracting a bigger audience. We heard regularly from readers, many of whom still sat with the physical Sunday paper; some let us know they were especially loyal to our staff critics and often started scans of the Post by flipping to their work. I feel very passionate about the importance of arts coverage and criticism, but my thoughts about building and maintaining an audience apply just as well to international news, local journalism, and reporting on climate change, other areas that are vital to the mix of any serious newspaper even if the number of clicks on them can be modest.