How to find your hook (This week in books)

This week! Books!

First up, I swung by The Kidlit Social to give an interview about how to find your story’s hook, even if you don’t have a very hook-y book, and other assorted advice about the importance of getting good at pitching, even if it just means possessing the ability to talk about your book in polite company without boring people to tears. Check it out!

The publishing industry lost two legendary editors in the past year, and editor Jonathan Segal paid tribute to late Knopf editors Sonny Mehta and Dan Frank, along with the now-usual generational exhortation about the perils of cancel culture.

If you’re thinking about starting a newsletter, definitely check out this edition by David Gaughran about the subscriber journey and how to roll out the red carpet.

I enjoyed this roundup of books featuring characters with mundane occupations.

Are fictional characters protected under copyright law? Sometimes! But not always. Intellectual property attorney Kathryn Goldman explains.

And what to do when you want to be a writer or artist but your parents want you to be a doctor, lawyer, or engineer? Viet Thanh Nguyen rounds up some strategies.

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. The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
2. Nine Lives by Danielle Steel
3. Falling by T.J. Newman
4. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
5. People We Met on Vacation by Emily Henry

Adult print and e-book nonfiction:

1. How I Saved the World by Jesse Watters
2. This is Your Mind on Plants by Michael Pollan
3. The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
4. Trejo by Danny Trejo with Donal Logue
5. Killing the Mob by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard

Young adult hardcover:

1. One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus
2. Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
3. Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
4. Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard
5. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Middle grade hardcover:

1. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
2. Refugee by Alan Gratz
3. Ali Cross: Like Father, Like Son by James Patterson
4. Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston
5. The Ickabog by J.K. Rowling

This week on the blog

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

• Don’t step on your surprises
• Orient the reader with physical description and context (page 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

And finally…

enjoying your Vampire Weekend? thank a Vampire Union

— blaine capatch (@blainecapatch) July 10, 2021

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 (NEW!), my guide to writing a novel and my guide to publishing a book.

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Art: Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Follow me on Instagram!