Be wary of unsolicited literary agents in your inbox (This week in books)

This week! Books!

Publishing scam watchdog Writer Beware has relaunched at writerbeware.blog. As it moves away from its accrispin.blogspot domain, it’s a time to honor the legacy of Writer Beware’s late co-founder Ann Crispin, a really lovely person who dedicated so much energy to helping authors. She was one of my early blog inspirations, and I’m really glad I had a chance to meet her in person.

Meanwhile, I want to make sure everyone sees this recent post about fake agents who promise to charge no fees, and then “refer” you to a “trusted company” for some costly service you don’t need. Be very, very wary of any agent who reaches out to you out of the blue, particularly if they’re not very specific about why they’re reaching out. Make sure they’re legit and know your rights as an author.

Former President Trump parted with yet another presidential tradition when he pipped the chief White House photographer to a coffee table book (which, to be clear, he absolutely has the right to do as the photos are in the public domain). The past few White House photographers published their own books with forewords from Presidents Obama and Bush, respectively.

Why do publishers publish initially in hardcover? Agent Janet Reid explains, but the winds here are shifting and agents are starting to negotiate initial publication format.

And in writing advice news, Angela Ackerman talks about mistakes authors make with settings, and Leslie Budewitz has advice for pushing through the discomfort that comes with creating.

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. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
2. Run, Rose, Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson
3. The Recovery Agent by Janet Evanovich
4. It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
5. Verity by Colleen Hoover

Adult print and e-book nonfiction:

1. The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
2. One Damn Thing After Another by William P. Barr
3. The 1619 Project edited by Nikole Hannah-Jones, Caitlin Roper, Ilena Silverman and Jake Silverstein
4. The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larsen
5. Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

Young adult hardcover:

1. One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus
2. Gallant by V.E. Schwab
3. You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao
4. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
5. Loveless by Alice Oseman

Middle grade hardcover:

1. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
2. Troublemaker by John Cho
3. Refugee by Alan Gratz
4. The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera
5. Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan

This week on the blog

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

• How to show a character reacting to a dramatic moment
• Show where objects are in relation to one another (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, Arthur C. Brooks writes about how the second-happiest types of people tend to win in the end, a similar conclusion that I reached when I wrote about leaning into meaning.

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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