Hachette employees unionize (This week in books)

This week! Books!

You wouldn’t know it’s publishing’s summer quiet season with the number of links I have this week, so let’s get to it.

Hachette Book Group Employees Vote to Unionize – Alexandra Alter, New York Times – Book publishing continues a trend toward organized labor, as Hachette’s employees formed the largest trade union in American trade book publishing. (Also, per Publishers Lunch, Alexandra Alter is leaving books coverage for the Style section. Her coverage will be missed!)

The global reading crisis that started with smartphones – David Shelley, Los Angeles Times – Speaking of Hachette, CEO David Shelley notes the decline in children reading for pleasure starting with the advent of smartphones, and urges families to develop routines around reading.

The End of Reading Is Here – Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic – In further “no one is reading anymore” news, Rose Horowitch argues we may be entering a post-literate era.

Reading for pleasure builds empathy in children, but fewer kids are picking up books just for the fun of it – William Dee Nichols, Michelle Kearney, The Conversation – And if you haven’t yet had your fill of “the kids aren’t reading enough” news, here’s another one on a decline in children reading for fun.

Human Intelligence – Ned Hayes pointed me to a company he’s working on that has authentication for authors wishing to prove their writing as “human-made.”

A Twist in This Year’s Strangest Literary AI Scandal – Will Oremus, The Atlantic – An interview with Jamir Nazir, one of the winners of the Commonwealth prize accused of using A.I. While Nazir strenuously denies using A.I., the interview is probably unlikely to quell suspicions.

Emily Henry Is the Queen of Happily Ever After (gift link) – Madison Darbyshire, Bloomberg – A profile of bestselling contemporary romance author Emily Henry, whose craft I seriously admire.

The Rise of the “As Seen on TikTok” Sticker – Brady Brickner-Wood, The New Yorker – You may start seeing “As seen on TikTok” stickers on books. What that actually means for readers and the industry is another matter.

Are You an Iliad Person or an Odyssey Person? (gift link) – Daniel Mendelsohn, Bloomberg – Daniel Mendelsohn, who literally wrote the book on The Odyssey, delves into the ancient and enduring divide between Iliad people and Odyssey people.

This Board Book Genius Is One of America’s Great Authors – Brian Goedde, New York Times – An appreciation of children’s book author Sandra Boynton and the board book as a form.

Inside Dua Lipa’s Library of Banned Books – Ron Charles – Apex intellectual celebrity crush Dua Lipa has opened a library for banned books in Portugal. Book critic Ron Charles, who is ostensibly on vacation, made a visit.

Is Moby-Dick the Greatest American Novel? – Michael Dirda, Lit Hub – Yes. Yes, it is.

Principles of Plotting Part IV: Intersection and Redirection – Lincoln Michel, Counter Craft – Author Lincoln Michel continues his series on the principles of plot with intersecting and diverging plot lines.

Your Dream Agent – Kate McKean, Agents + Books – Your daily reminder that it’s inadvisable to pin your hopes on a single agent you don’t even know.

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. Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
2. Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
3. The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett
4. Whistler by Ann Patchett
5. Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

Adult print and e-book nonfiction:

1. Regime Change by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan
2. Cancel Me If You Can by Dave Portnoy
3. Strangers by Belle Burden
4. Communion by JD Vance
5. The Land and Its People by David Sedaris

Young adult hardcover:

1. The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss
2. Fake Skating by Lynn Painter
3. The Way Things Work by David Macaulay
4. If Only I Had Told Her by Laura Nowlin
5. Release Me by Tahereh Mafi

Middle grade hardcover:

1. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
2. Wombat Waiting by Katherine Applegate
3. KPop Demon Hunters by Jessica Yoon
4. Unsettling Salad! by Aaron Reynolds
5. The Court of the Dead by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro

This week on the blog

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

• How to nail the last line of the plot description in a query letter

And keep up with the discussion in all the places!

• Follow me on Bluesky and Threads

And finally:

Are Humanoid Robots Ready to Be Deployed? – Stephen Witt, The New Yorker – Despite our collective Jetsons dreams, this entertaining look at the cutting-edge robotics industry suggests a robot doing our laundry is not exactly imminent.

Have a great weekend!

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