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:
- Dear Thirty by Janet Evanovich
- The Exchange by John Grisham
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
- A Fire in the Flesh by Jennifer L. Armentrout
- The Secret by Lee Child and Andrew Child
Adult print and e-book nonfiction:
- The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
- Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry
- Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
- Being Henry by Henry Winkler with James Kaplan
- Outlive by Peter Attia with Bill Gifford
Young adult hardcover:
- What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez
- Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
- Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle
- Night of the Witch by Sara Raasch and Beth Revis
- Five Survive by Holly Jackson
Middle grade hardcover:
- Wings of Fire: A Guide to the Dragon World by Tui T. Sutherland
- The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs by America’s Test Kitchen Kids
- The Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac by J.K. Rowling
- Wonder by R.J. Palacio
- 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:
And keep up with the discussion in all the places!
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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JOHN T. SHEA says
Bravo, Lincoln Michel! I’ve always believed novels should have much more whale stuff. In fact, every book should be ALL whale stuff. Blubber! We need more blubber!
JOHN T. SHEA says
The Tenochtitlan recreation is absolutely amazing!
Neil Larkins says
Amen! A triumph!!!
Neil Larkins says
So much marketing potential going unused with “Moby.”
Yes, there was a movie… oh, so long ago (1950s) its grown gray hair, even on the whale. But consider what might have been….
In the 1960s, “Moby Dick, The Board Game.”
In the 1970s “Moby Dick Action Figures. Collect’m all!”
The 1980s: “Moby Dick The Animated Series Now on Nickelodeon.”
The 1990s: “Moby Dick Only on Game Boy!”
The 2000s and on… “Interactive Moby,” “Reality Moby,” “AI Moby.” Well… you get the idea.
We need more blubber… and cow bell.