This week books!
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve done a links roundup, and I have quite a few good ones to share. Let’s get to it!
Netflix spent over £500 million on a golden ticket and purchased the rights to Roald Dahl’s entire catalog. They have movies, TV shows, and more planned.
Jay Coles has a new novel out called Things We Couldn’t Say (check it out!) and he posted at We Need Diverse Books about the way writing fiction has been a source of solace and empowerment.
Lincoln Michel also has a new novel out called The Body Scout (check it out!) and he posted about his “confused and chaotic” writing process and path to publication. He also continued his series of posts on strange writing habits, and took a look at Zadie Smith’s approach of spending an enormous amount of time (for On Beauty: two years!) perfecting the first twenty pages before she moves on to the rest of the novel.
Two of my favorites joined forces for a great interview as Dan Blank talked to novelist Livia Blackburne about how she thought outside the box by releasing a free novella to whet reader appetites for her debut novel, seemingly freaking out her publisher in the process. It worked! Midnight Thief became a bestseller, and it’s a great example of an artist trusting her instincts. (And how traditional publishers need to stop being so, well, traditional).
The New York Times bestseller list is a perennial source of angst and mystery within the publishing world, and in honor of her 50th book hitting the Times list, literary agent Kristin Nelson looks at some of the indicators that point to landing on the list and some of the books that were surprises.
What is upmarket fiction? That is the question. Agents Jessica Faust and James McGowan discuss.
In writing advice news, author Kristen Lamb dissects plot twists, Erika Liodice explores the creative connection between travel and writing, and while there’s a lot of emphasis on high concept these days, agent Angie Hodapp says high concept isn’t king.
And I loved this post by Austin Kleon about rewilding and rewinding your attention.
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:
- Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
- The Jailhouse Lawyer by James Patterson and Nancy Allen
- Daughter of the Morning Star by Craig Johnson
- Vince Flynn: Enemy at the Gates by Kyle Mills
- Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead
Adult print and e-book nonfiction:
- Peril by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa
- Vanderbilt by Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe
- American Marxism by Mark R. Levin
- Yours Cruelly, Elvira by Cassandra Peterson
- The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
Young adult hardcover:
- Iron Window by Xiran Jay Zhao
- One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus
- The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
- Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Middle grade hardcover:
- Wonder by R.J. Palacio
- Refugee by Alan Gratz
- Ground Zero by Alan Gratz
- We Are Family by LeBron James and Andrea Williams
- Beasts and Beauty by Soman Chainani. Illustrated by Julia Iredale
This week on the blog
In case you missed them, here are this week’s posts:
- When to get feedback on a novel
- How to make and keep writing friends
- Utilize the narrative voice to deliver exposition (page critique)
Don’t forget that you can nominate your first page and query for a free critique on the blog:
And keep up with the discussion in all the places!
And finally, um, can we talk about Squid Game, which took years off my life?
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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