Don’t dehumanize authors (This week in books)

This week! Books!

Certain segments of the book buying and reviewing world have long held that they can say whatever the heck they want about authors, but any authors who respond are by definition “authors behaving badly.” The latest broadside against this dynamic comes from author Kacen Callender, who argues that the “idea that an author automatically has more power than a reader needs to be reexamined.”

Meanwhile, the robots are coming for your writing. How do you know a human is even writing this blog post? On second thought don’t answer that.

Stephenie Meyer has a new book coming out, and she talks about some of her favorite books past and present. She has a good list!

The Hugo Awards for science fiction were announced, congrats to the winners!

Speaking of the Hugos, a few of agent DongWon Song’s clients won, and he talks about that experience and distills it into some great advice for both authors and publishing professionals: first be a fan. (Also check out DongWon on the recent Comic-Con panel I moderated!)

Gayle Jones wrote some hugely influential novels in the 1970s, disappeared, and has recently resurfaced with a new novel that will be released by Beacon Press in 2021. Calvin Baker delves into her fascinating story.

And the publishing industry lost another editor who was hugely influential in 20th Century literature. RIP James Silberman, who edited James Baldwin, Marilyn French, Hunter S. Thompson, Al Toffler, and many others.

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:

1. Deadlock by Catherine Coulter
2. 1st Case by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts
3. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
4. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
5. The Order by Daniel Silva

Adult print and e-book nonfiction:

1. Too Much and Never Enough by Mary L. Trump
2. White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
3. On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder
4. How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
5. Untamed by Glennon Doyle

Young adult hardcover:

1. Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
2. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
3. One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus
4. Avatar, The Last Airbender: The Shadow of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee
5. Avatar, The Last Airbender: The Rise of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee with Michael Dante DiMartino

Middle grade hardcover:

1. The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate
2. Wonder by R.J Palacio
3. Little Leaders by Vashti Harrison
4. The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs by America’s Test Kitchen Kids
5. Refugee by Alan Gratz

This week on the blog

Don’t forget that you can nominate your first page and query for a free critique on the blog:

• Nominate Your First Page for a Critique on the Blog
• Nominate Your Query for a Critique on the Blog

In case you missed them, here are this week’s posts:

• There’s no excuse for not knowing where your book fits in the market
• There is such a thing as too short (query critique)

And keep up with the discussion in all the places!

• Follow me on Twitter
• Follow my page on Facebook
• Join the Facebook Group
• Check out the Bransforums

And finally, I really enjoyed this article by Arthur C. Brooks about “success addicts” who choose specialness over happiness. As always, true happiness comes down to the relationships you cultivate.

Have a great weekend!

Need help with your book? I’m available for manuscript edits, query critiques, and coaching!

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Photo: Prospect Park in the summer. Follow me on Instagram!