How to fix a boring story (This week in books)

This week! Books!

These are tough and anxious times for everyone, and it’s tempting to want your book to be the thing that is going to be the thing that lifts your spirits, naturally when it gets published and validated and you become rich and appreciated throughout the realm. At Jane Friedman’s blog, Susan DeFreitas cautions against holding out on publishing to make you feel seen and offers another path for giving and receiving the thing that all writers really need.

And speaking of which, I really loved this meditation on writing by Hilary Mantel, which spans why we write in the first place, to the affliction known as writer’s block, to the things writers need (demand?) from the people around them.

The publishing industry’s efforts to rectify its longstanding problems with diversity and inclusion continue apace, including a new imprint at Hachette dedicated to social justice and writers of color and new hires throughout the industry.

How do you fix a boring story? I really liked these four tips from Gilbert Bassey. (Here are my tips for spicing up characters and relationships in novels).

And your weekly reminder that it’s really important to know your book’s genre. Here are some tips from agent Rachelle Gardner.

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. A Time for Mercy by John Grisham
2. The Return by Nicholas Sparks
3. The Searcher by Tana French
4. The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett
5. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

Adult print and e-book nonfiction:

1. Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
2. Untamed by Glennon Doyle
3. Caste by Isabel Wilkerson
4. Accidentally Wes Anderson by Wally Koval
5. One Vote Away by Ted Cruz

Young adult hardcover:

1. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
2. Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
3. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
4. Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel by A.W. Jantha
5. All This Time by Mikki Daughtry and Rachael Lippincott

Middle grade hardcover:

1. Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Adventure by Jeff Kinney
2. The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate
3. Wonder by R.J Palacio
4. A Tale of Witchcraft by Chris Colfer
5. Becoming Muhammad Ali by James Patterson and Kwame Alexander

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:

• How to keep up with the publishing industry in 2020
• How to weave more voice into a query letter (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, the last four years have revealed some very ugly truths about the United States. I thought this rumination on the America of the past and present by Wallace Shawn was really powerful.

Have a great weekend! Vote!

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

For my best advice, check out my online classes (NEW!), my guide to writing a novel and my guide to publishing a book.

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Photo: Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Photo by me. Follow me on Instagram!