This will be the last post for about a month, as I’m getting married to my lovely partner next week and taking a bit of time off.

But! I am still available for editing, and am currently booking full manuscript edits starting in mid-May. I typically book slots two to three months out, so I’d recommend reaching out as soon as you’re confident in your delivery date. Don’t hesitate to reach out!

Things have been a tad hectic, but here are some of the links that caught my eye this week.

Macmillan Children’s Dissolves Roaring Brook, Forms New Imprint – Emma Kantor, Publishers Weekly – Another longtime children’s imprint is dissolving, this time Roaring Brook, though Macmillan is also forming a new imprint under Connie Hsu for nonfiction and illustrated books.

What Memoir Scandals Tell Us about Two LLM Writing Scandals – Lincoln Michel, Counter Craft – Nothing is surer in life than death, taxes, and memoir scandals in publishing, but Lincoln Michel has some astute observations to make about the bleeding edges of authenticity and what it means for readers’ relationship with A.I.-generated writing.

What Bookstores Want From Traditional Publishers—and How the Bookstore Market Has Changed – Jane Friedman – What life on the ground for bookstores means for the direction of the publishing industry and what authors should take into account.

What Are the Routines of So-Called Super-Readers? – Kelsey Rexroat, Lit Hub – Who are the super readers plowing through hundreds of books a year, and how do they do it?

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. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
2. The Night We Met by Abby Jimenez
3. Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
4. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
5. Judge Stone by Viola Davis and James Patterson

Adult print and e-book nonfiction:

1. Strangers by Belle Burden
2. Stripped Down by Bunnie XO
3. Stand by Cory Booker
4. The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
5. A World Appears by Michael Pollan

Young adult hardcover:

1. The Sun and Starmaker by Rachel Griffin
2. Fake Skating by Lynn Painter
3. If Only I Had Told Her by Laura Nowlin
4. Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
5. A Stage Set for Villains by Shannon J. Spann

Middle grade hardcover:

1. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
2. The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs by America’s Test Kitchen Kids
3. Refugee by Alan Gratz
4. Pocket Bear by Katherine Applegate
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:

• N/A

And keep up with the discussion in all the places!

• Follow me on Bluesky and Threads
• Check out the Bransforums

And finally:

Transference in the Afternoon – Jesse Barron, Granta – I’m normally in the “we should all know less about each other” camp of caring about salacious stories, but this was a genuinely fascinating deep dive into an affair between therapist and patient that raises some profound questions about the nature of therapy, personal responsibility, and trauma.

Have a great weekend! See you next month!

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.

And if you like this post: subscribe to my newsletter!

Photo: The Huntington, San Marino, CA

This week! Books!

Let’s start with some “A.I. getting chopped down to size” news.

OpenAI Is Shutting Down Sora, Its A.I. Video Generator – Cade Metz, New York Times / Disney Exits OpenAI Deal After AI Giant Shutters Sora – Alex Werpin, The Hollywood Reporters – OpenAI’s foray into an A.I.-generated, copyright-nightmarish social media network has flamed out spectacularly, costing OpenAI a $1 billion partnership with Disney.

Wikipedia bans AI-generated content in its online encyclopedia – Oliver Milman, The Guardian – Wikipedia is banning A.I. content, apart from translations and spellcheck.

As AI Discourse Rages, Publishing Has More Questions Than Answers – Sam Spratford, Publishers Weekly – The publishing industry is still reckoning with the fallout from Hachette’s cancellation of Mia Ballard’s Shy Girl, with agents worrying about a collapse of trust, and others worrying that Hachette (a company that publicly admits to using A.I. in its operations) threw the author under the bus.

While I’m fully aboard holding A.I. companies to account, I have to admit I’m a bit nervous about some of the vigilantism around accusing authors of A.I.-generated content. Not because I’m using A.I. to churn anything out myself (this is all me), but because I worry innocent authors could be falsely accused with scant proof.

To wit:

The People Falsely Accused of Using AI – Emma Alpern, The Intelligencer / AI detection and authors’ fear of witch hunts – Jane Friedman – Humans are already being accused of being robots, particularly neurodivergent writers, and tools to reliably prove A.I.-usage are scant and faulty.

Careful what you wish for here, and I suspect it’s going to be a mess for a while. My hunch is that over time, people will stop caring whether something was generated with A.I. and instead focus on the simple fact of whether it’s good or not.

Why Tech Bros Are Now Obsessed with Taste – Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker – Meanwhile, in a world where tech bros think A.I. can or will be able to do anything, taste is all the rage as something tech bros think they’ll still bring to the table. People always want what they can’t have.

Rising Wartime Costs Rattle Publishing’s Global Supply Chain – Ed Nawotka, Publishers Weekly – Thanks to the idiotic war in Iran, we’re talking about supply chains again like it’s 2020.

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. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
2. Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
3. Judge Stone by Viola Davis and James Patterson
4. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
5. Love Song by Elle Kennedy

Adult print and e-book nonfiction:

1. Stripped Down by Bunnie XO
2. Strangers by Belle Burden
3. You With the Sad Eyes by Christina Applegate
4. The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
5. Kids, Wait Till You Hear This! by Liza Minnelli

Young adult hardcover:

1. Fake Skating by Lynn Painter
2. The Sun and Starmaker by Rachel Griffin
3. Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
4. If Only I Had Told Her by Laura Nowlin
5. The Ruins Beneath Us by Sasha E. Sloan

Middle grade hardcover:

1. The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs by America’s Test Kitchen Kids
2. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
3. The Complete Baking Book for Young Chefs by America’s Test Kitchen Kids
4. The Court of the Dead by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro
5. Growing Home by Beth Ferry

This week on the blog

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

• N/A

And keep up with the discussion in all the places!

• Follow me on Bluesky and Threads
• Check out the Bransforums – on hiatus!

And finally:

What Happens When a Whale Is Born? – Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker – Scientists got a rare look at a sperm whale birth, and found incredible signs of community.

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.

And if you like this post: subscribe to my newsletter!

Photo: The Huntington, San Marino, CA

This week! Books!

First, a quick programming note, prompted by a personal note. I’m getting married in April, and, as you can imagine, things are a bit hectic! Posting may be a bit sporadic for the rest of March, and then I’m planning to take an extended break from April through mid-May.

But! I’m still very much open for business. Please continue contacting me for your editing and consultation needs.

Now then, on to the links!

A.I. Is Writing Fiction. Publishers Are Unprepared. – Alexandra Alter, New York Times – Well, here we go. Hachette has canceled publication of an originally self-published horror novel that has been accused of largely being A.I.-generated. In an industry that largely relies on author attestation alone when it comes to plagiarism and fact checking, needless to say publishers are on their heels.

Tracy Wolff Did Not Plagiarize ‘Crave’ Series, Court Finds – Katy Hershberger, Publishers Lunch – In a closely watched trial involving dueling romantasy manuscripts and overlapping personnel, a judge ruled that Tracy Wolff did not plagiarize author Lynn Freeman and the overlap involved common tropes and phrasing. To arrive at the ruling, the judge heroically read six drafts of Wolff’s manuscript and the four Crave novels, which should come with hazard pay no matter how good the books are.

Layoffs, Moves at Penguin Young Readers as Dial Imprint Shuttered – Emma Kantor, Publishers Weekly – In sad news generally and disorienting for me personally, Dial Books for Young Readers at Penguin, which published my Jacob Wonderbar series, is shuttering. Some editors are being laid off, others reassigned to new imprints. Not exactly comforting news for the state of the children’s book world.

HarperCollins Union Wins New Contract – Sam Spratford, Publishers Weekly – Big win for the brave unionizers at HarperCollins, who have won a new contract with industry-leading base pay.

‘It Ends With Us,’ but It Starts With Her – Alexis Soloski, New York Times – Colleen Hoover’s novels are all the rage in Hollywood.

There’s No Substitute For Reading: A Roundtable With Four Literary Magazine Editors – Alia Hanna Habib, Delivery and Acceptance – Agent Alia Hanna Habib sits down with lit magazine editors to discuss how they approach their jobs and think about what they acquire.

Typos Have Plagued Us for Centuries. Just Ask the Publishers Who Printed the Seventh Commandment as ‘Thou Shalt Commit Adultery’ in 1631 – Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian – Inject it itno my viens!

Experiment: Claude as My Lead Gen Boyfriend – Lauren Hamlin, Move 37 – How good is A.I. model Claude at generating leads for a literary agent? So good it convinced a self-professed luddite of its utility.

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. Judge Stone by Viola Davis and James Patterson
2. Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
3. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
4. The Wings That Bind by Briar Boleyn
5. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

Adult print and e-book nonfiction:

1. Kids, Wait Till You Hear This! by Liza Minnelli
2. Getting Naked by Valerie Bertinelli
3. Stripped Down by Bunnie XO
4. Nobody’s Girl by Virginia Roberts Giuffre
5. You With the Sad Eyes by Christina Applegate

Young adult hardcover:

1. Fake Skating by Lynn Painter
2. The Sun and Starmaker by Rachel Griffin
3. Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
5. The Ruins Beneath Us by Sasha E. Sloan

Middle grade hardcover:

1. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
2. The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs by America’s Test Kitchen Kids
3. The Court of the Dead by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro
4. Pocket Bear by Katherine Applegate
5. Growing Home by Beth Ferry

This week on the blog

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

• N/A

And keep up with the discussion in all the places!

• Follow me on Bluesky and Threads
• Check out the Bransforums – on hiatus!

And finally:

Benjamin Franklin Was One of Many Early Americans Who Spread Genocidal Propaganda About Indigenous Nations – Paul C. Rosier, Lit Hub – The more things change…

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.

And if you like this post: subscribe to my newsletter!

Photo: The Huntington, San Marino, CA. Follow me on Instagram!

This week! Books!

What Do You Do and What Do You Make? – New York Magazine – This fascinating snapshot of how much money various people in NYC make sent many tongues wagging, particularly the New York Times bestselling author with 800,000+ Instagram followers, who made $49,000 last year, roughly the same amount as a Midtown coffee cart owner, and quite a bit less than the mobile de-lice lady. While of course it’s not the complete picture as the author cites prior savings (and note the ghostwriter who made $165,000), it does illustrate the broader point that even bestsellerdom isn’t a path to easy street. You need to be a mega-bestseller for that, and speaking of…

Along Came an Influencer: How America’s Bestselling Writer Became MrBeast’s Co-Author – Vauhini Vara, Bloomberg (gift link) – Look beyond the headline, this is a really engaging profile of human publishing juggernaut James Patterson, who followed ambition, a background in advertising, and a willingness to leave his literary ambitions behind to mega-bestsellerdom. Patterson says he’s channeled $220 million to literary causes. But re: the headline. Yeah………..

I wrote a book about theft and deception – and now AI scams are flooding my inbox – Walter Marsh, The Guardian – Another look at the rampant publishing scams being supercharged by A.I.

Amazon Veteran to Lead Simon & Schuster – Alexandra Alter, New York Times – Succeeding Jon Karp as CEO of Simon & Schuster is Greg Greeley, former Amazon executive, who was involved in starting Amazon’s self-publishing operation.

Publishers Charge Anna’s Archive with Copyright Infringement – Jim Milliot, Publishers Weekly – Publishers are going after prominent piracy site Anna’s Archive.

Grammarly turned me into an AI editor against my will and I hate it – Casey Newton, Platformer / Grammarly Is Facing a Class Action Lawsuit Over Its AI ‘Expert Review’ Feature – Miles Klee, Wired – This week in eff-around-and-find-out news, Grammarly launched a feature that allowed people to ask A.I. versions of prominent writers, editors, and experts for advice. One teensy problem? They never asked said experts for approval. The feature is now shut down and Grammarly faces a class action lawsuit.

Read This Newsletter on Why You Don’t Need a Newsletter – Kate McKean, Agents + Books – Take it from agent and author Kate McKean, who has a great newsletter: no one has to have a newsletter.

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. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
3. Just Friends by Haley Pham
4. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
5. Felicia’s Favorites by Danielle Steel

Adult print and e-book nonfiction:

1. You With the Sad Eyes by Christina Applegate
2. Stripped Down by Bunnie XO
3. Nobody’s Girl by Virginia Roberts Giuffre
4. Streetwise by Lloyd Blankfein
5. Strangers by Belle Burden

Young adult hardcover:

1. Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
2. The Ruins Beneath Us by Sasha E. Sloan
3. The Dragon and the Sun Lotus by Amélie Wen Zhao
4. The Sun and Starmaker by Rachel Griffin
5. Fake Skating by Lynn Painter

Middle grade hardcover:

1. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
2. Magnitude by Jennifer A. Nielsen
3. Refugee by Alan Gratz
4. The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan by Jasmine Warga
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:

• When to get feedback on a novel

And keep up with the discussion in all the places!

• Follow me on Bluesky
• Check out the Bransforums – on hiatus!

And finally:

How China Learned to Love the Classics – Chang Che, The New Yorker – The world of academic classics is in flux, as China has a renewed interest in positioning itself as the Eastern equivalent of ancient Greece, and American scholars are reinterpreting the classics with new viewpoints.

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.

And if you like this post: subscribe to my newsletter!

Photo: The Huntington, San Marino, CA. Follow me on Instagram

Getting good feedback on a novel is absolutely crucial to its ultimate success. We all have writing blind spots, it’s tricky to know what is and isn’t on the page, and we need to hear reactions from other people in order to improve the writing and storytelling.

Every writer should get feedback prior to submitting to an agent or self-publishing. Full stop. (Note: this may or may not need to be a paid edit).

But feedback comes with risks. It isn’t equally helpful at every stage of the writing process, and I’ve often seen it blow writers off course.

Here are some tips on when (and when not) to seek feedback on a novel.

When it’s unhelpful to seek feedback

Ironically enough, the most unhelpful time for feedback is often during the two times you’re most tempted to seek it out: when you’re just getting started and when you’ve recently received editorial feedback.

In the rush of excitement of a new idea, you might be dying to dash something off and see what someone close to you sees in it. You want them to be as excited as you are.

After you’ve received a major critique, you may want to feel like you’re now on the right track with your new approach.

Beware.

When you’re just starting a new novel, there are two things you’re hoping to find: voice and plot.

But voice takes a while to find. It should be a very personal voyage, because the voice is you. It’s your singular vision, your manifestation on the page, an outlook that no one else in the world can write. Before the clay hardens, voice is vulnerable to outside voices and it’s dangerous to let other voices into your head during this time.

And feedback takes some time to sink in and marinate. You’ll need some time to beef up the craft muscles that need strengthening, and you’re probably not going to get it exactly right on the first try. That’s okay! It doesn’t mean you’re on the wrong track, but if you try to get an immediate gut check before you’ve taken some time with the revision, it could be very discouraging and blow you off course.

Get farther down the field before you seek feedback. Trust that you should be writing the project because it’s important to you (that’s reason enough), and resist the temptation to get critical feedback this early.

If you still feel like you need a boost, give someone the opening and tell them very explicitly that you only want to hear what they like about it.

The two times to seek feedback

Both for a new draft and a revision, once you’ve gotten past the 50-75 page mark and the voice has solidified and everything’s flowing, then you’re in a safer place to seek feedback.

But should you?

The absolute ideal time for seeking feedback is when you have polished the novel as much as you can on your own, whether that’s a first draft or a tenth draft.

The reason for this is pretty simple: If you’ve fixed all the problems you can see, the feedback from an editor will solely be focused on things you can’t see. It isn’t super helpful for an editor to spend half of their energy pointing out things you already know are issues.

The other time to seek feedback? When you’re stuck.

If things aren’t working but you can’t figure out why, it might be helpful to have an editor take a look. Sometimes they can spot where things went astray, and even just the act of showing the work to someone else and imagining what they’ll think of it will help you get the distance you need to see elements of the plot that might have gone off course.

Ready to seek feedback?

If it’s time to seek feedback, here are some resources that might help:

• How to edit a novel
• How to find and work with a book editor
• What to expect when you work with a freelance editor
• How to respond to a manuscript critique
• Don’t ever ask somebody whether you should keep writing

Do you have any tips for when and when not to seek out feedback? Let me know in the comments!

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 27, 2021

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.

And if you like this post: subscribe to my newsletter!

Art: Die entdeckten Liebesbriefe by Carl Rudolph Sohn