This week! Books!
First up, the blog will be going on a spring break over the next few weeks while I do some traveling, reflecting, and soccer watching. I’m anticipating a late April or early May return. But I’ll be working and checking email in the meantime, so don’t hesitate to reach out if you need help with queries, synopses, manuscripts, proposals, or coaching.
(And as someone soon to be traveling and reflecting, I read this article on George Orwell’s time on the isolated Isle of Jura in Scotland, where he famously wrote 1984, with great interest).
One hundred years ago, Richard Simon and Max Schuster joined together to form a new publisher called Simon & Schuster. One of their early employees, Leon Shimkin, who started when he was 17, convinced Dale Carnegie to turn his lectures into How to Win Friends and Influence People and pioneered paperback books. Today it’s helmed by former editor Jonathan Karp and owned by private equity behemoth KKR. S&S has a dedicated website to celebrate the centennial.
Speaking of 100, author Ryan Chapman has 100 great tips for improving (or not) your next novel, including “Your writing should embarrass you at least a little bit. If it doesn’t, you haven’t written anything of substance” and “Everyone craves the respect of their peers. The trouble is, your peers are writers.”
As humanity confronts a precarious future due to climate change, Aissa Dearing looks at the connection to Afrofuturism and its long tradition of grasping toward a more humane future.
Dan Blank with writing and creativity lessons from Mister Rogers? Yes, please.
And several of the many lawsuits against OpenAI will move forward in New York, including ones led by the Authors Guild and the New York Times.
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:
- The Women by Kristin Hannah
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
- Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
- The Truth About the Devlins by Lisa Scottoline
- The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
Adult print and e-book nonfiction:
- The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
- Age of Revolutions by Fareed Zakaria
- Becky Lynch: The Man by Rebecca Quin
- Get it Together by Jesse Watters
- Reading the Constitution by Stephen Breyer
Young adult hardcover:
- Powerless by Lauren Roberts
- Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
- Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross
- The Prisoner’s Throne by Holly Black
- Murtagh by Christopher Paolini
Middle grade hardcover:
- Heroes by Alan Gratz
- The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro
- Wings of Fire: A Guide to the Dragon World by Tui T. Sutherland
- Ferris by Kate DiCamillo
- The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs by America’s Test Kitchen Kids
This week on the blog
In case you missed them, here are this week’s posts:
- Deciding between projects? Put your horses in a race
- Which authors will you drop everything to read?
- Immerse agents in the story (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, it would have been Marlon Brando’s 100th birthday this week, and it’s worth re-reading Pauline Kael’s epic review of The Godfather.
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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