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.
The Madrid Book Fair, the first major book fair since the before times, was a smaller, but successful affair.
The supply-chain is looking to cause issues when it comes to holiday book buying (get those preorders in asap!).
High profile writers and artists have signed a letter to Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi calling for the release of three Iranian writers.
James Patterson and Scholastic have teamed up to tackle illiteracy.
Rapper Noname has opened a library dedicated to the Black Experience.
A library in Virginia is enlisting robots to encourage kids to read.
A seven-year-old kid is advocating for more disability representation in libraries.
Abdulrazak Gurnah has won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Sterling K. Brown is set to star in and produce an adaptation of Esi Edugyan’s Washington Black.
If you’re looking for cover inspiration, check out this list of the most recognizable covers of all time.
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?
Have a great long weekend!
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!