What’s after the plague? (This week in books)

This week! Books!

As we Americans ramp up our vaccinations and the end of the pandemic feels like it could possibly be around the corner, it’s very tempting to wonder what’s next. I really enjoyed this fascinating essay by Jill Lepore about what the end of plague novels say about what could lie ahead.

Teens crying on TikTok have become big business in the publishing world. Imagine reading that sentence five years ago.

Writing for the We Need Diverse Books blog, Rebecca Wei Hsieh writes about the emotional labor undertaken by sensitivity readers and advice for how best to engage them.

The science fiction & fantasy world and literary fiction world are increasingly overlapping as more writers cross over into the other zone, and author Lincoln Michel has a fascinating look at the differences in craft jargon and self-perception in these lit ecosystems.

Literary agent Lucinda Halpern has three tips to help make your query letter stand out.

And Facebook is going to start paying writers and journalists for a new publishing platform. Here we go again.

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. Win by Harlan Coben
2. Wild Sign by Patricia Briggs
3. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
4. Later by Stephen King
5. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Adult print and e-book nonfiction:

1. This is the Fire by Don Lemon
2. The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson
3. Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
4. Caste by Isabel Wilkerson
5. How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates

Young adult hardcover:

1. Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
2. Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare
3. Namesake by Adrienne Young
4. One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus
5. Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas

Middle grade hardcover:

1. The Ickabog by J.K. Rowling
2. Becoming: Adapted for Young Readers by Michelle Obama
3. Wow in the World by Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz
4. The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate
5. Wonder by R.J. Palacio

This week on the blog

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

• How to write clear physical description
• Beware of hollow opening lines (query critique)

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

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

Comment! of! the! week! goes to Dana, with a good addition to my guide to writing clear perspective:

My only comment is to fellow writers is that it’s okay to write like the first version. That’s how a lot of my stuff comes out when I’m struggling. Write rough, and then use this as a tool to go back in and layer like you did.

And finally, a review of Emma Southon’s new book, which asks a very important question: Why was the politics in the late Roman Empire so stabby?

Have a great weekend!

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

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

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Photo: Prospect Park, Brooklyn in the fog. Follow me on Instagram!