This week! Books!
Lots and lots and lots of links for you from this frankly world-changing week. I hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy. My heart goes out to our medical professionals, those that are experiencing health and financial hardships, and everyone suffering in any way from all of this.
I may post on this in a bit more detail at a later time, but one reason I didn’t post yesterday is that I’ve been dealing with pretty rough coronavirus-like symptoms for the past week. I’m fine and am on the mend and feel ridiculously privileged to have the means to weather it in self-quarantine, but one thing I felt unprepared for is the mental challenge of getting sick during this time, with all of the worst case scenarios pinging through our phones, knowing many hospitals are already stretched, and when most of us are pretty isolated.
A lot of us are going to end up sick before this thing is over, both from CV and other more run of the mill illnesses (which mine might have been for all I know–I haven’t been able to get tested yet). In addition to all of the material preparations you’re making, I’d highly, highly recommend preparing for the mental side as well and coming up with some sort of a game plan to keep your head up if you fall ill.
I’ve never been someone who gets nervous when I get sick, but this just isn’t like getting sick in more normal times. Stay in touch with your people and reach out when you need it. Heck reach out to me if you need to. We’re all in this together.
Now for the links!
It’s difficult to overstate the impact this week will have on…. well pretty much everything.
First up, the New York Times has a pretty good overview on the impact coronavirus is having on the publishing industry as a whole. In short: Bookstores are getting hammered and face an uncertain future in the social distancing era, author tours and speaking engagements are being canceled, and people are casting a wary eye in the direction of Barnes & Noble.
The Times also took a closer look at how independent bookstores are getting creative to serve customers during this time, even as vaunted indie bookstores Powell’s and McNally Jackson have announced substantial layoffs. Here’s a great roundup of how you can support bookstores during the pandemic. Print sales are already off 10%.
Another reason to support your indies: Amazon has announced (rightly) that they are going to redirect their warehouses to focus on household and medical supplies, meaning book fulfillment could take a hit and there could be delays obtaining print books.
Amid all this uncertainty we’re going to need the literary community more than ever, as LitHub editor Jonny Diamond writes. Along those lines, LitHub announced the launch of the Virtual Book Channel, which will feature readings, book launches, and regular shows.
Meanwhile, lots of people are wondering whether it’s okay to send out query letters right now, and agent Jessica Faust gives a definitive yes. My own conversations echo this. A lot of agents are at home and catching up on their reading right now.
I know it’s really hard to be a parent trying to juggling taking care of cooped up kids and working at the same time, and there was some good news on that front as Penguin Random House loosened its license for online story times and classroom videos and live events.
Jessica Faust also has a good post on writing in difficult times.
Emily St. John Mandel, author of the incredible post-pandemic novel Station Eleven, had a great interview with Goodreads about her new novel The Glass Hotel.
Agent Rachelle Gardner wrote an awesome post comparing pitching a manuscript to pitching on Shark Tank.
And as a reminder that there will be a time after this one, LitHub takes a look at America’s oldest bookstore, Moravian Book Shop in Pennsylvania, which has already survived a pandemic.
This week in bestsellers
Here are the top five NY Times bestsellers in a few key categories. (All links are affiliate links):
Adult print and e-book fiction:
- The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel
- Journey of the Pharaohs by Clive Cussler and Graham Brown
- Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
- American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
- Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Adult print and e-book nonfiction:
- Untamed by Glennon Doyle
- The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson
- The Gift of Forgiveness by Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt
- The Mamba Mentality by Kobe Bryant
- Educated by Tara Westover
Young adult hardcover:
- Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
- Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare
- One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus
- A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
- Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi
Middle grade hardcover:
- Wings of Fire: Legends: Dragonslayer by Tui T. Sutherland
- Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid by Jeff Kinney
- Wonder by R.J. Palacio
- Refugee by Alan Gratz
- If We Were Giants by Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith
This week on the blog
Don’t forget that you can nominate your first page and query for a free critique on the blog:
In case you missed them, here are this week’s posts:
Comment! of! the! week! goes to Jaden Terrell, with another example about how you can go astray choosing a title that sounds like a different genre:
I gave my fourth book a title I thought was perfect for a private detective novel centered on a series of barn arsons. Sadly, I discovered that most of the people who land on A TASTE OF BLOOD AND ASHES are looking for books about vampires.
And finally, this pandemic is going to shape the world in so many ways, big and small. Politico talked to 30 experts on their predictions for how some of those changes might manifest themselves.
Have a great (and safe) weekend!
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I’m writing from Portland, where the libraries are closed, and so is Powell’s. I’m going to order some books from them … they’re trying to keep their business going and things are desperate for them. So support your local indie!
Emily St. John Mandel is all kinds of wonderful (Last Night Montreal is good … Station Eleven is astounding). She also has a good interview with NYT book review about what and how she reads, which is fun. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/books/review/emily-st-john-mandel-by-the-book-interview.html
Take care, Nathan! We’re pulling for you.
It’s reassuring to hear Nathan is on the mend, and even up for writing this helpful blog post. As an author with a new book just out and a canceled book tour that leaves me “sheltering in place” far from home, I’m spending all my time on line, reading more blogs and social media than usual, wondering what will ever become of the book I spent over a decade writing. I decided to purchase book gift certificates from some of the independent bookstores where I’d been scheduled to read, and send them to some poorer friends and family members. Now I see that shops in NY are being closed completely, unable even to ship. That may well be necessary, but it without some bailout plan it has huge implications throughout the literary ecosystem, from small literary presses to authors
So glad you’re on the mend. Looking forward to your posts now more than ever.
Hi, Nathan, Sorry to hear you’re not feeling well. You’ve been amazing, then, writing to show support and to encourage others that they’re not alone, You did good!
It was written by the so-called ‘father of medicine’, Hippocrates (400 BCE), who stated that “Nature is the physician of disease”. The best advice I received from a doctor was to ‘drink more water’. This really helped, actually.
One technique to boost the immune system is to cut up two garlic cloves and place them in boiling water to seep for a few minutes. (Garlic has an antibiotic effect.) Then drink like a warm tea. The taste is very pleasant and there’s no smell of garlic on the breath afterwards. Boosting the immune system and bodily vitality is one of the best ways to remain strong and healthy,
Another way to boost the immune system and vitality is to keep our spirits up by remaining positive and optimistic. Don’t listen to negative thoughts that just pop into the mind. They are never true. We can take control of the mind by inputting whatever we want as if a fait accompli. Think and/or affirm daily: ‘I feel strong. I am filled with energy. I am perfectly healthy. Every day, I feel better and better. My life is great. I’m a gifted person and success comes easily to me.’ In fact, state anything you want as if you already have it. This isn’t just my advice. It is Scriptural and shows how powerful our words are. ‘The power of life and death are in the tongue.’
Thanks, again, for providing a network of support for, us, your readers.
Sorry you’re ailing, Nathan. Treat this like the flu even if you don’t have any of its symptoms: Get plenty of rest. Keep the TV off – reread a favorite book or a new one you’ve been meaning to. Drink plenty of liquid including juice and tea. Eat light. Chill out by working on your next book but cut back on the blog for a few more days. Chat often with friends and family but not about politics or COVID for a bit longer.
Thanks for this week’s news. The link to Rachelle was interesting. Comparing Shark Tank to getting publishing is an angle I’d never thought of. It was all good, as usual. Get well!
Hang in there, Nathan — take your own advice and look after yourself. Here’s hoping you’re like most people, with some ordinary bug and the stress of the times.
My favorite advice for writing in these times comes from industry veteran Kristine Kathryn Rusch, who’s always a pleasure to read. She argues that craziness like this always calls for professional caution, and that it will clear up when it clears up:
https://kriswrites.com/2020/03/04/business-musings-disruption/
https://kriswrites.com/2020/03/18/business-musings-the-worry-game-a-process-blog/
I’m on day 10 of sheltering in place, with kids. My oldest has a mild form of cystic fibrosis, which is a lung disease. I can’t let her get this virus. I gave the kids assignments, too help us through this. Despite having to deal with cf, my oldest is very positive, so I made her my chief morale officer. She checks in with people, keeps spirits up and sees when people need some cheering up. My other daughter is our activities director. Every day, it is her responsibility to plan some sort of family activity (2 on weekend days).
They’re both doing well with these responsibilities. I think their jobs are important and really helping us stay positive, but also enjoy our time together as a family. And we are in the suburbs, so they get out in the backyard to run around in the fresh air and sunlight.
I know what you mean about a shelter in place medical plan. I don’t know what I did to my wrist. It was swollen, discolored, and I could hardly move my thumb. I don’t run to the doctor for everything, but this is something I would normally go for. But I didn’t, because I couldn’t go to a doctor for a wrist problem and bring coronavirus home to my family. So, I suffered through, unable to hold anything in that hand for a couple of days. The swelling went down, the color is normal, and I have full use of my thumb now. But i can’t hold anything heavy in that hand yet. I still don’t know what I did to cause it, except picking up one of those Costco 40 pks of water. Those are a little too much for me to lift, but I was there and they had water, so I grabbed one. That was on 3/12, the day before i started my shelter in place. That was probably it. Hopefully, I will get full use back soon.
If you’re stuck at home, I recommend taking one one of those “one day even i have some time” projects you never have time for. It is good for morale. Next weekend, i am cleaning the garage. It needs to get done and now all I have is time, so why not?
One day when I have some time projects
Get well soon, Nathan! And thanks for the roundup. And congrats to Jaden Terrell! Titles are vital, and sometimes slippery. At least one major (and excellent!) movie “JOHN CARTER” failed largely due to the simple fact that people could not figure out what it was about from the truncated title. The novel had been more informatively titled “JOHN CARTER OF MARS”.