This week! Books!
No posts next week as I’m headed to NYC for a round of lunching with publishing professionals and meeting up with friends. I aim to be back blogging later on in June, but I’ll be checking emails in the meantime, so continue to reach out for editing.
In my update on the publishing industry a few weeks back I noted that publishers have gotten more and more effective at mining their backlists. Much credit there is owed to Open Road Integrated Media, which uses machine learning and marketing tools to promote backlist titles. Elizabeth A. Harris profiles the company, which is soon launching a new venture, Re-Discovery Lit, which will republish out of print titles.
17 former clients at New Leaf Literary released a statement to Writer Beware clarifying the sequence of events surrounding agent Jordan Hamessley’s departure, challenging Publishers Weekly’s reporting on the subject, and calling for (very sensible) industry-wide change.
In an effort to thwart 2023’s book banning craze, top California officials released a letter warning educators against book bans and noted that removing books could constitute unlawful discrimination. This comes after a Florida school district made the truly baffling decision to restrict access to Amanda Gorman’s poem “The Hill We Climb,” which she read at the last presidential inauguration.
The WGA strike is continuing into its second month, and Alexis Gunderson checks in on novelists who are supporting the protests.
For writing and creativity advice, Lincoln Michel says that yes, metaphors actually need to make sense, Austin Kleon has a great post on spurring your creativity with summer unschooling, and Dan Blank answers, will 10,000 followers get you a book deal? (Spoiler: no).
And author Zara Raheem rounds up books that chip away at stereotypes of Muslim women.
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:
- Identity by Nora Roberts
- Happy Place by Emily Henry
- It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
- The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
- It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover
Adult print and e-book nonfiction:
- Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
- The Wager by David Grann
- Outlive by Peter Attia with Bill Gifford
- The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
- The Book of Charlie by David Von Drehle
Young adult hardcover:
- Solitaire by Alice Oseman
- Five Survive by Holly Jackson
- Nick and Charlie by Alice Oseman
- Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley
- The First to Die in the End by Adam Silvera
Middle grade hardcover:
- The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro
- Wonder by R.J. Palacio
- Refugee by Alan Gratz
- The Swifts by Beth Lincoln
- The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers
This week on the blog
In case you missed them, here are this week’s posts:
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, Peter Jamison’s recent profile of a previously homeschooled couple choosing to send their children to public school is a heartfelt and gut-wrenching narrative of finding a path that’s true to yourself. It’s also, subtly, a testament to the power of books.
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.
And if you like this post: subscribe to my newsletter!
Photo: The Huntington Library, San Marino, CA. Follow me on Instagram!
){kind=link}