Why do publishers struggle to make debuts a hit? (This week in books)

This week! Books!

First up, I’ll be traveling to New York City next week (let’s meet up!), so there will be no blog posts/newsletters. But I’ll still be working and emailing, so don’t hesitate to reach out if you need editing.

On the Rise and Fall of Publishing’s “Make Book” – Maris Kreizman, Lit Hub – Back when my publishing contemporary Maris Kreizman was at Simon & Schuster in the early aughts, publishers would take chances on debuts and pour in concerted effort to try to make them a hit, thus launching an author’s longer career. What’s happened since? Corporate consolidation and publishing employees spread thin, which is increasingly leaving it to indie presses to nurture authors’ careers.

Macmillan Staff Say the Publisher Threw a Party for a Workplace AI Assistant That Was Later Killed – Adam Morgan, Wired – Macmillan launched an internal AI tool called “No Ordinary Assistant” to great fanfare. Well, pour one out for No Ordinary Assistant because it is now dead. Meanwhile, in the wake of AI-hallucinated quotes in jacket copy and an inability to get publishers to promise not to use AI, some bestselling authors are considering leaving traditional publishers entirely. Killer quote for the kicker:

“Publishers have always seen authors as a bit of a nuisance, and now there’s a desire to make us obsolete,” says one bestselling Big Five author. “What’s fascinating to me is that in the process of trying to make authors obsolete by using AI, the publishers are rendering themselves obsolete.”

Trying Not to Sound Like AI Is Changing How We Write (gift link) – Morgan Meaker, Bloomberg – In further bleak news, some authors are trying to adjust how they write in order to avoid sounding like AI. This strikes me as the worst possible outcome. Say no to AI purity tests! How hard is it to just judge the finished product on its own merits?

Sarah J. Maas, Inc. – Sam Spratford, Publishers Weekly – Sarah J. Maas’s new novel A Court of Splintered Harmony is here, bringing with it a slew of merch that includes lingerie, pajamas, and Target-exclusive Kettle Corn, including a quite yeesh quote from the apparel CEO about the waterproof nature of the underwear. Fan reaction has been rather mixed.

Be Very Afraid. Horror Bookstores Are Multiplying! (gift link) – Erik Piepenburg, New York Times – Horror bookstores are multiplying like zombies.

Writers Are Making Millions Selling Short Stories to Hollywood (gift link) – Ash Wu, New York Times – Hollywood is snatching up short stories these days, a lucrative enterprise for the writers able to place them.

Catapult Books is being sold; authors mourn a major loss to L.A.’s literary scene – Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times – Independent press Catapult, which housed Counterpoint and Soft Skull Press, is now shuttering, a unique blow to the Los Angeles lit scene.

Fake film deals and emails from top agents: who is behind the explosion in literary scams? – Snigdha Poonam, The Guardian – And another deep dive on the pervasive scams targeting authors. Be safe out there!

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. Miss Wolcott’s Ghost by Louise Penny
2. Chain Reaction by Lee Child and Andrew Child
3. Threshing Day by Rebecca Yarros
4. The Family Cross by James Patterson
5. Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

Adult print and e-book nonfiction:

1. In the Shadow of Eight by Collin Gosselin
2. WTF America?! by Ben Meiselas, Brett Meiselas and Jordy Meiselas
3. America’s Golden Age by Newt Gingrich
4. Andy’s Bravo Scrapbbook by Andy Cohen
5. Uniting the States by Brian Kilmeade

Young adult hardcover:

1. Trust Fall by Lynn Painter
2. The Sixth Faction by Veronica Roth
3. Wings of Reverie by Anna Bright
4. Our Strange Duet by Erin A. Craig
5. Devoured by Jordan Stephanie Gray

Middle grade hardcover:

1. The Wild Zone by Rick Riordan and Annabelle Oh
2. Building 903 by Lois Lowry
3. Dragonborn: The Twilight Child by Struan Murray
4. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
5. 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:

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And finally:

Sexy werewolves, boy-toy mafiosos, homeless guys who are secretly billionaires: Welcome to the world of the microdrama. (gift link) – Daniel Kolitz, New York Times – The new penny dreadfuls are lurid and inane short vertical videos being churned out by the dozens, increasingly by AI. As much as Hollywood and traditional publishers may not like it, this is the result when you follow the money and give the people what they want.

Have a great weekend!

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Photo: Wokman, East Pasadena, CA