Supply Chain Worries, Robot Readers, and Bad Art Friend: This Week in Book News

Happy Friday, writers! And to our fellow Canadians, happy early Thanksgiving! I for one am very excited for a long weekend filled with turkey and pumpkin pie, and hope everyone gets a chance to eat some delicious Thanksgiving food (even if you’re not Canadian – pumpkin pie is an every day treat as far as I’m concerned).

Bad Art Friend aside, it’s been pretty slow in the publishing world, so let’s take a quick look at the news this week.

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The Madrid Book Fair, the first major book fair since the before times, was a smaller, but successful affair.

The Madrid Book Fair Returns, Smaller but with Style

The 2021 Madrid Book Fair, known colloquially in Spanish as the Feria del Libro de Madrid, was among the first large-scale in-person consumer book fairs to take place anywhere in the world since the start of the pandemic. The event usually occurs in the spring but was bumped to September.

The supply-chain is looking to cause issues when it comes to holiday book buying (get those preorders in asap!).

‘The Beginning of the Snowball’: Supply-Chain Snarls Delay Books

Shipping delays, printer backups and worker shortages are forcing publishers to postpone new titles and leaving booksellers in a lurch for some old ones. Days after the release of Rebecca Donner’s book, ” All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days,” its hardcover edition sold out on Amazon, then at the online retailer Bookshop.org and at Powell’s Books.

High profile writers and artists have signed a letter to Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi calling for the release of three Iranian writers.

Margaret Atwood, Sandra Cisneros, and more call for the release of three imprisoned Iranian writers.

Upward of fifty high-profile writers and artists have signed a letter addressed to Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi, calling for the release of three Iranian writers: Baktash Abtin, Keyvan Bajan, and Reza Khandan Mahabadi. Abtin is a poet, screenwriter, and filmmaker; Bajan, a novelist and journalist; and Khandan Mahabadi, an author, literary critic, and pop culture researcher.

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James Patterson and Scholastic have teamed up to tackle illiteracy.

James Patterson and Scholastic are joining forces to mitigate illiteracy.

In rather heartwarming news, bestselling novelist James Patterson is working with Scholastic Book Clubs to tackle literacy inequity. On Monday, Scholastic announced that Patterson had donated $1.5 million to help launch “The United States of Readers,” a classroom initiative created to address the needs of children in Title 1 schools.

Rapper Noname has opened a library dedicated to the Black Experience.

Rapper Noname just opened an LA library dedicated to the Black experience.

Fatimah Nyeema Warner, otherwise known as Noname, has become a fierce advocate for literacy. The Chicago rapper, who generated buzz after appearing on Chance the Rapper’s 2013 mixtape Acid Rap, launched her synonymous book club in July of 2019. Noname Book Club, which operates online and in person, is dedicated to spotlighting the works and voices of people of color.

A library in Virginia is enlisting robots to encourage kids to read.

This Virginia library is getting kids to read . . . through robot companionship.

Parents and educators have tried many different tactics to get children to read-games, star charts, personalized books. Now, Roanoke County Public Library is trying something new, which seems both incredibly effective and a little dystopian: encouraging children to read by having them read to a humanoid robot.

A seven-year-old kid is advocating for more disability representation in libraries.

This 7-year-old is advocating for more disability-centered books in libraries.

7-year-old Noah Holt loves to read, but was caught off guard when he noticed his elementary school’s library and the public library near his house in Amesbury, Massachusetts owned barely any books about disability.

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Abdulrazak Gurnah has won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Tanzanian writer Abdulrazak Gurnah wins 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature | CBC Books

Tanzanian writer Abdulrazak Gurnah has won the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature. The 10 million Swedish kronor ($1.5 million Cdn) prize, which has been given out since 1901, recognizes authors who have “in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction.”

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Sterling K. Brown is set to star in and produce an adaptation of Esi Edugyan’s Washington Black.

Sterling K. Brown to star and executive produce TV adaptation of Esi Edugyan’s Washington Black | CBC Books

Sterling K. Brown to star and executive produce TV adaptation of Esi Edugyan’s Washington Black | CBC Books Loaded Books Washington Black follows a young boy’s escape from slavery in Barbados and his remarkable trip around the world. Sterling K.

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If you’re looking for cover inspiration, check out this list of the most recognizable covers of all time.

The 25 Most Iconic Book Covers in History

First things first. What makes a book cover iconic? There are no hard and fast rules, of course-like anything else, you know it when you see it.

You couldn’t go anywhere online without seeing a take on Bad Art Friend; this piece asks the question how much needs to be changed when writing about real-life inspiration?

For Sale: Kidney Story. Never Authorized.

By now you’ve probably read the Kidney Person saga or at least some of the one million tweets about it. As a story, the article is well written and full of wild and gossipy tidbits.

Have a great long weekend!

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Staff Pick

Laura, Author Engagement Specialist

 The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun is a M/M take on the Bachelor, and tells the story of Charlie, an awkward tech billionaire, and his producer Dev Deshpande. Dev is a producer on Ever After, and has spent his career making love stories happen on TV. But he never expected sparks to fly between him and the new lead. This was such a charming & funny story.  I really appreciated the diversity of the characters and the focus on mental health. Would recommend for anyone looking for a new rom-com!