Is fiction publishing broken? (This week in books)

This week! Books!

First up, the wonderful organization We Need Diverse Books has launched a site called Indigenous Reads Rising, which is dedicated to helping educators, librarians, and readers find books by Native authors and illustrators.

As anyone who is querying, on submission, or trying to negotiate a new deal probably knows, these are not exactly salad days for those aiming for a precious spot on a publisher’s list. I’ve written before that we’re in the midst of an ongoing pandemic hangover that may just be permanent and a not so fun game of musical chairs. Author Therese Anne Fowler dives into the challenging landscape and agents/editors chasing bookalikes.

Kate Dwyer takes a look at why it’s so hard for authors to make a living from writing. But you already knew that.

And maybe this landscape has you thinking you might just like to be a lighthouse keeper instead. Dorothy Wickenden’s profile of the keeper of Boston Light will not likely dissuade you.

But on the other side of the coin, “romantasy” is now huge thanks to BookTok, and few bigger than Fourth Wing author Rebecca Yarros. Alexandra Alter at the New York Times tracks her rise, and Jessica Karl at Bloomberg takes issue with her sloppiness with Scottish Gaelic.

I haven’t had a chance to read this yet, but Alex Blasdel at the Guardian has a profile of longtime agent Andrew Wylie, notoriously nicknamed “The Jackyl” and re-mythologized by the press every few years.

And I can always get behind this advice: Lincoln Michel says your novel should be more like Moby-Dick.

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. Dear Thirty by Janet Evanovich
2. The Exchange by John Grisham
3. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
4. A Fire in the Flesh by Jennifer L. Armentrout
5. The Secret by Lee Child and Andrew Child

Adult print and e-book nonfiction:

1. The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
2. Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry
3. Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
4. Being Henry by Henry Winkler with James Kaplan
5. Outlive by Peter Attia with Bill Gifford

Young adult hardcover:

1. What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez
2. Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
3. Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle
4. Night of the Witch by Sara Raasch and Beth Revis
5. Five Survive by Holly Jackson

Middle grade hardcover:

1. Wings of Fire: A Guide to the Dragon World by Tui T. Sutherland
2. The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs by America’s Test Kitchen Kids
3. The Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac by J.K. Rowling
4. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
5. The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro

This week on the blog

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

• Traditional publishing vs. self-publishing. Which should you choose?
• Stay immersed in the voice (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

And finally, this is a really spectacular achievement: a realistic, three-dimensional model of what Tonochtitlan looked like before the Spanish arrived.

Have a great weekend!

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