From Mendocino to Maine, 400 indie booksellers will be hosting parties for local bookworms. Readings, swag, music, books, food. Each party will be one of a kind– just like your favorite bookstore!
Many writers think getting a literary agent is the hardest thing they’ll have to do as a writer. They think agents are looking to turn away writers, when actually many agents are actively looking to sign new talent. How do you find these agents that have open doors?
Literary Agent Carly Watters works with many debut writers she’s signed from the slush pile who have become successful multi-published authors. She’ll share the industry expectations of debut writers, how to find agents that are actively looking for new writers, and what questions to ask to make sure you find the right agent for you.
Learn what agents are being told by the industry and how that shapes the debut projects they sign, why you need an agent, and where to find agents that represent what you write. Do you want know how to hook an agent? Carly will make sure you’re fishing in the right pond.
Independent Bookstore Day in NYC Saturday, May 2, 2015 / #bookstoredaynyc / #bookstoreday
The first EVER! national holiday for indie bookstores is coming on May 2!
Over 20 NYC bookstores will be celebrating their first ever national holiday all day long on Saturday, May 2 with special activities, events, author visits, and lots of fun.
Share pictures, stories, and book stacks with #bookstoredaynyc and #bookstoreday, and we’ll be reposting you from here, all day! And follow us here.
Finish the day off right by coming out to our official Afterparty.
Help out and get in touch! We (the coalition of NYC stores!) can be reached at info@bookstoredaynyc.com.
Join us at our Afterparty! The day will culminate in a celebratory Afterparty at The POWERHOUSE Arena in DUMBO, hosted by Emma Straub (emmastraub), Jami Attenberg (jamiatt), and Angela Flournoy, with sponsors Tumblr, Book Riot, & Lit Hub, and beer lovingly provided by Brooklyn Brewery and snacks from Luke’s Lobster, featured in their new cookbook Real Maine Food.Free with RSVP to info@bookstoredaynyc.com.
Massive thanks to illustrator & author Brian Floca for generously creating our fantastic #bookstoredaynyc artwork. Posters and postcards will be available in stores soon!
The face of children’s literature is about to change Almost half of U.S. children have a minority background, but you rarely see them in books. One group wants to change that, and research shows more diverse books could lead to a more tolerant generation.
Congratulations to Anthony Doerr, David
Kertzer and Elizabeth Kolbert on their Pulitzer Prize wins! Here are some interviews to help you brush up on their stellar books:
World
War II In A New ‘Light’: Empathy Found In Surprising Places: The
award-winning author Anthony Doerr’s newest novel approaches old history with
two unfamiliar perspectives: a blind French girl and a German orphan. He says
WWII history is as important as ever.
‘Pope
And Mussolini’ Tells The ‘Secret History’ Of Fascism And The Church: It’s commonly
thought that the Catholic Church fought heroically against the fascists in
Italy. But in The Pope and Mussolini, historian David Kertzer says the church actually lent
organizational strength and moral legitimacy to Mussolini’s regime.
In
The World’s 'Sixth Extinction,’ Are Humans The Asteroid?: Elizabeth Kolbert’s new book begins with a history of the
“big five” extinctions of the past, and goes on to explain how human
behavior is creating a sixth one – including our use of fossil fuels and the
effects of climate change.
Reality check moment: When Naila thought she was on a normal family vacation in Pakistan but her parents actually took her there to marry her off.
What makes it great: Aisha Saeed is one of the first people to tackle the issue of forced marriages in YA, and she explores how it affects everyone involved, not only Naila. There are no villains here, just complicated people trying to hold on to tradition in a changing world.
Reality check moment: When everything Cody knew about her best friend’s suicide implodes because of one encrypted computer file.
What makes it great: Gayle Forman has said that I Was Here is a book about a suicide the way that If I Stay is a book about a car crash–i.e. only incidentally. The true core of I Was Here is the struggle to understand the people we love and make peace with who they are, who we are in the face of loss and uncertainty.
Reality check moment: When Jason finds a questionable way to fund his escape with his sister from his abusive father.
What makes it great: Still Waters brings to mind a classic YA favorite, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. It’s an intense, gritty thriller that explores the dark relationship between poverty and privilege, and shows what lengths one boy will go to protect his family.
Reality check moment: When 16-year-old Mim hops a bus from Jackson, MS to Ohio, braving a 1,000 mile journey alone to find her missing mother.
What makes it great:Mosquitoland takes us on a road trip through the South, as well a road trip through the brain of Mim Malone, who is definitely not okay. You’ll have to read to find out why. Note: the feels in this book are industrial strength.
Reality check moment: when Lima makes an irreversible decision that alters her relationship with her best friend forever.
What makes it great:First There Was Forever beautifully and authentically deals with something that has happened to all of us at one time or another: when a friendship we thought unbreakable changes.
Reality check moment: when out of all the biggest secrets Normandy uncovers, the most eye-opening is actually within her own home.
What makes it great: You will not be able to get enough of this book’s voice. It’s funny, witty, original, and ultimately plunges into your heart with truth.
Reality check moment: when a boy Gwen considers a mistake reappears for the summer and forces her to question everything she’s been trying to escape.
What makes it great: The romance in this book will give your summer reading some edge: it’s a deep, sometimes dark look at identity, boundaries, regret, and passion set against a gorgeous beachside summer.
“
Writing about girls is something I’ve had to defend over the course of my career. I’ve been told by prospective readers that they’re interested in my work but the only thing holding them back from picking it up is my choice of main character; they think they’re just not going to be able to relate to a female protagonist because she is female. Whatever I choose to write about, whether it be sexual violence, girl-bullying or depression—I will invariably run across comments that reduce the very real struggles girls go through in every possible way. Girls are drama queens, girls have petty catfights, girls in crisis are attention-seeking and on and on. This is what I’m writing against when I write girl stories. But I’ve been fortunate to hear from girl readers who have seen themselves in my books, who have felt less alone because of that, and many who have been inspired to write their own stories—and that’s what I’m writing for. Girls’ stories matter because girls matter.
”
