Book News
“There are only two forces that can carry light to all the corners of the globe … the sun in the heavens and The Associated Press down here.”
— Mark Twain
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* * COMING EVENTS! * *
Coming July 7 — 10, 2022
Instructors: Gina Panettieri, Paula Munier and Amy Collins
Nonfiction is sold on proposal, so writing a winning nonfiction proposal is a skill you need to master and we’re here to help! Whether you’re contemplating writing about a fascinating historical event, a gripping true-crime ripped from the headlines, a family member’s remarkable past, a lively self-help guide, or a roadmap for business success, it’s essential to not only include all the necessary elements of a proper proposal, but to write persuasively and clearly, to convincingly detail your qualifications to write the work, and make your case for the viability of the project. The market for nonfiction is robust but competitive, and you need to sharpen your skills to give your book its best chance.
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Coming July 14, 2022
How to Successfully Pitch a Book for Any Genre
Instructors: Julie Bogart, Adam Oyebanji, Eric Smith and Robert Lee Brewer
In “Breaking In: How to Successfully Pitch a Book for Any Genre,” writers will learn how to successfully pitch a book for any genre, whether they’re writing fiction or nonfiction. Plus, they’ll learn more about the process after the pitch is accepted. Writers who attend will find themselves one step closer to successfully pitching their books—whether in person or in their query letters!
Each registration comes with access to the archived version of the program and the materials for one year. You do not have to attend the live event to get a recording of the presentation. In all WD webinars, no question goes unanswered. Attendees have the ability to chat with the instructor during the live event and ask questions.
You will receive a copy of the webinar presentation in an e-mail that goes out as soon as possible after the live event. The answers to questions not covered in the live presentation will be included in this e-mail as well.
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Coming July 21 — Sep 8, 2022
Story Mapping and Pacing
Instructor: Terri Valentine
Discover how the seven core competencies of storytelling—concept, character, voice, plot, theme, scene construction, and style—combine to create compelling narrative.
By understanding the engineering and design of a story, and using Larry Brooks’ Story Engineering and Nancy Dodd’s The Writer’s Compass, you’ll learn how to quickly and effectively get your story out of your head and onto the page.
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Coming July 21 — Sep 15, 2022
Outlining Your Novel
Instructor: G. Miki Hayden
Writers often look upon outlines with fear and trembling. But when properly understood and correctly used, the outline is one of the most powerful weapons in a writer’s arsenal.
With the help of the book Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success by K.M. Weiland, you will learn how to write an outline as you explore what type of outline is right for you, brainstorm plot ideas, and discover your characters.
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Coming July 28 — Sep 22, 2022
Revision & Self Editing
Instructor: Terri Valentine
Every writer knows that the journey to publication is a long and hard road. Once you finish your first draft, it’s time to start the arduous process of self-editing and revision.
When you take this online writing course you will learn methods of self-editing for fiction writers to ensure your writing is free of grammatical errors.
You’ll also dig deeper into how to edit a book with Write Great Fiction: Revision & Self-Editing by James Scott Bell. Use his self-editing checklist to keep you on track and take the time to perfect your work. After all, you only have one chance to make a first impression on an agent or publisher.
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Coming July 28 — 31, 2022
Writer’s Digest Annual Conference offers everything you need to advance your writing career creatively and professionally. Gain invaluable tips to improve your craft, explore publishing options and learn how to establish a sustainable career—all while being inspired by successful authors and your fellow attendees. It’s all brought to you by Writer’s Digest, the experts at nurturing and developing writers at every stage of their career for over 100 years.
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* * NEW BOOKS COMING UP! * *
Coming July 12, 2022
Never LIve
By Blake Pierce
May Moore, 29, an average Midwestern woman and deputy sheriff, has always lived in the shadow of her older, brilliant FBI agent sister. Yet the sisters are united by the cold case of their missing younger sister—and when a new serial killer strikes in May’s quiet, Minnesota lakeside town, it is May’s turn to prove herself, to try to outshine her sister and the FBI, and, in this action-packed thriller, to outwit and hunt down a diabolical killer before he strikes again.
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CLICK HERE!
CLICK HERE!
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* * JULY 2022 BOOK NEWS! * *
Grace D. Li Interview
Vigilante PI Protects the Defenseless
Interviewed by Michael Woodson and Amy Jones — Writer’s Digest
Writing a heist novel is no simple task. Listen as editors Michael Woodson and Amy Jones chat with Grace D. Li about writing her debut novel, and WD’s first book club pick, Portrait of a Thief.
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Inspector Morse Books in Order
By PBS Masterpiece
The cerebral TV detective Endeavour Morse first materialized in the bestselling crime novels by Colin Dexter. Morse was a fascinating new sort of cop, a sensitive soul in love with opera and poetry, not stereotypically weary and hard drinking
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The Best Reviewed Crime Books of June 2022
By CrimeReads
Featuring new novels from Kristin Chen, Katie Gutierrez, Riley Sager, and more.
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JUNE 2022 BOOK NEWS!
The Best Reviewed Books of the Week
By Book Marks — Literary Hub
Featuring New Titles by Hilary Mantel, Ed Yong, Riley Sager, and More
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22 More Great New Books
to read in 2022
By Liberty Hardy — Book Riot
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the TBR water, here’s a preview of 22 more great new books to read in 2022! Your reading list will thank you.
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8 Ways to Avoid Cardboard Characters
By K.M. Weiland — Helping Writers Become Authors
“The plot was contrived, and the characters were cardboard.” Ouch. That’s about as bad as it can get when it comes to negative story reviews. It’s also perhaps one of the most common complaints audiences have about stories.
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10 Contemporary Authors
writing under more than one name
By Sarah S. Davis — Book Riot
Some of these pen names are pretty close to the real name while other are not, and I can only imagine the brainstorming that went behind some of the radically different ones. The truth is, authors use pen names all time, and for good reason.
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10 Conspiracy Thriller Movies for the Truly Paranoid
By Lucas Ropek — GIZMODO
I’m a big fan of thrillers and I particularly love a good conspiracy thriller. This genre is a mostly forgotten art because, in my opinion, few movies today are able to capture the truly unhinged paranoia of prior decades.
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10 Best Mysteries with a Twist
By Elisa Shoenberger — BookRiot
Is there anything more delicious than a big twist in a book? In the best mysteries with a twist, the narrator leads you down one path, but then you realize at the end that they’ve actually taken you off the main path in the forest. While it can happen in many different types of writing, in mysteries, it can mean that the person you thought was an innocent bystander is actually the murderer. Or maybe the victim was actually alive all the time! Or maybe everything you understand about the narrative has been completely wrong.
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Missed Targets
seven attempted assassination thrillers
By William Martin — CrimeReads
Nothing concentrates a story like the threat of an assassination.
If you’re a reader, you know from a glance at the flap copy that something big is going to happen in the book you’ve just picked up, something that will keep you turning pages right up until the moment when the assassin aims his weapon.
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The Real Book Spy’s
june 2022 reading guide
By The Real Book Spy
Welcome to June, thriller fans!
While most of the country is finally starting to heat up, so too is the thriller genre . . . and it’s going to be one heck of a summer!
This month, there are a ton of really great books set to hit store shelves, and as always, we’ve highlighted a few of our favorites
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Book ClubBooks to Read This Summer
By Emily Martin — Book Riot
Through all of the terrible and wonderful things we’ve been through over the past few years, there’s one thing that remains constant: book clubs. Book clubs continue to be a wonderful way to meet people or to meet up with your friends and discuss something we all love.
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The Ultimate Summer 2022 Reading LIst
By Emily Temple — Literary Hub
If you’re new here, here’s how it works:
- I read all of the Most Anticipated and Best Summer Reading lists that flood the internet this time of year (or at least as many as I can find).
- I count how many times each book is included.
- I collate them for you in this handy list.
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International Thrillers
to binge-watch this weekend
By Dwyer Murphy — CrimeReads
Do you want to see British people solving mysteries in the south of France or the hills of Italy?
It’s time for a summer weekend of international thriller binge watching, which means get ready for some picturesque location shoots where the characters get to wear interesting sun hats while solving mysteries. That’s what summer shows are all about.
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New Releases Tuesday
the best books out this week
By Erica Ezeifedi — Book Riot
Here are a few of the books out today you should add to your TBR. This is a very small percentage of the new releases this week, as well as a few others you may have missed from recent weeks.
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The Month’s Best Debut Crime Novels
By CrimeReads
Featuring first novels from Katie Gutierrez, Samantha Allen, Adam White, and more.
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7 Ways to Use AI Writing Tools
to generate content ideas
By Marcelo Beilin — Search Engine Journal
AI writing tools are changing the publishing world and can help you speed up your content creation process. Learn about your tool options.
Creating relevant, engaging, original content for your audience on a regular schedule is a necessary aspect of any content marketing strategy.
The more content you create, the more keywords your website is going to rank for in search results, and the more visitors, leads, and prospects you’re going to reach.
The problem is, it’s really hard work to produce fresh new content over and over again.
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First Person Narrators
7 great crime novels
By Scott Blackburn — CrimeReads
the intimacy, the excitement, and the potential for deceit that only a good first person narrator can conjure up
As a reader, I’ve always been drawn to first person fiction. I love that it allows such a deep dive into a character’s mind while limiting my access to information, which I find crucial in building suspense. Mostly, I love that first person narration is conversational.
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Our 15 Favorite Summery Novels
By Emily Temple — Literary Hub
Every summer comes with a brand new slate of summer reading lists, but some summer novels are eternal. They’re the books that make you instantly smell salt, or feel the sun on your skin—or simply manage to evoke the precise magic of the season in one way or another. If you’re looking for a tried-and-true Summer Book—out of step though it may be with the publishing calendar—to take with you on your real or virtual travels, look no further. These are just a few of the Lit Hub staff’s go-to summer novels, perfect to dive into this season and for seasons to come.
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10 Best Mystery Characters
seven attempted assassination thrillers
By Hannah Yang — ProWritingAid
Mystery is one of the more plot-driven genres. Readers love mysteries because of the plot twists, red herrings, and shocking reveals.
But mystery books can be character-driven, too. In fact, some characters are so memorable that they’ve become a part of our cultural canon.
Here are our top-ten favorite characters in mystery stories.
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The Lives of Criminals
By Adam White — CrimeReads
These classics live at the intersection of literary fiction and crime.
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10 New Books Coming Out This Week
New offerings from the world of crime, mystery, and thrillers
By CrimeReads
Another week, another batch of books for your TBR pile. Happy reading, folks.
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The Best Books Out This Week
By Erica Ezeifedi — BookRiot
Here are a few of the books out today you should add to your TBR.
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Why Do We Forget Books We’ve Read?
Dr Sean Kang, a cognitive psychologist, says the information is still there, but it’s tucked away in long-term memory
By Coco Kahn — The Guardian
Ever thought about a book you’ve read, and had no recollection of the plot? Or followed a recommendation to watch a TV show, only to find you’ve already seen it? We live in an age of mass content, with TV, books and films consumed at some of the highest levels in recent years. Could this be wreaking havoc with our ability to remember them?
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72 of the Most Popular New Books
on goodreads right now
By Book Riot
Goodreads has revealed the most popular and best reviewed new books of the year so far. To compile the midyear list, the Goodreads’ editorial team analyzed the TBRs of more than 140 million members. The rankings were determined not only by which books were added to wish lists the most, but also by which books received a rating of 3.5 stars or more.
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15 Best-Selling Book Series of All Time
By Michele Debczak — Mental Floss
Many of the most memorable settings, characters, and stories in literature aren’t contained to a single novel. Titles that make up one part of a larger series are a common sight on bestseller lists. From epic fantasy sagas to picture books, these are the collections that garnered the most sales since their respective debuts.
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Mysteries and Thrillers Releasing This Summer
By shireenewrites — BussFeeds
These diverse thrillers, mysteries, and true crime novels are so good you’ll stay up all night reading them!
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19 Art and Design Books
to read this summer
By AD Pro Editors
To help provide you with some inspiration over the summer months, we have sorted through the art and design books released this spring. What follows is a small survey of some of the most exciting ones we found.
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10 Noteworthy Books for June
By Becky Meloan — The Washington Post
June is the perfect time to look for titles that capture the joy of the summer reading season. Standouts include playful satire, stories of weddings and romance, a dash of mystery and fantasy, and a look at America’s summer pastime, baseball.
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Chris Pavone
two nights in Lisbon
By Rick Pullen — The Big Thrill
Pavone’s first novel a decade ago, The Expats, won Edgar and Anthony awards and a shelf-full of other accolades. His newest novel, TWO NIGHTS IN LISBON, should follow suit. In fact, the publishing industry might consider creating a slew of new awards just for Pavone’s thriller.
It’s that good.
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Crime Novels with a Strong Sense of Place and Inimitable Atmosphere
some contemporary classics that simply couldn’t have been set anywhere else
By Matt Goldman — CrimeReads
Here’s a list of some of the books I admire for their sense of place. I wish I could include them all.
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20 Paperbacks to Kickoff Your Summer Reading
By Nancy Yee — Literary Hub
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15 of the Best Mystery Thrillers
By Michelle Regalado — Book Riot
In the mood for a little suspense? There’s nothing like the best mystery thrillers to keep you captivated for hours and put your amateur detective skills to work. These gripping picks will not only get your heart pumping, but they also make for excellent reads at any time of the year.
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9 Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books to Jazz Up Your June
Featuring New Books by Katherine Addison, Melissa Albert, Alix E. Harrow, and More
By Book Marks — Literary Hub
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May 2022 Book News
7 Books You’ll Want on Your Summer Thriller Reading List
By Paula L. Woods — The Los Angeles Times
Summer’s here — a time for mystery readers to chuck their cozy armchairs for sun umbrellas and venture beyond their living rooms, pandemic permitting. No matter how far you’re physically roaming, the summer’s crop of mysteries, recent and forthcoming, seem custom-made to take you places. All our most anticipated chillers explore territories beyond the everyday, crossing boundaries both geographic and psychological in search of the next hot thrill.
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The Best Reviewed Crime Books: May 2022
By CrimeReads
Featuring new books from Chris Bohjalian, Elizabeth Day, Mick Herron, and more.
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13 Best Beach Reads
Hit the beach and escape with these top reads.
By Shannon Garlin — Today
Are you looking for your next summer read? With the summer months nearly here, palm trees and warm rays are constantly on our minds, including finding our next addictive book. There’s nothing more we want to do than unplug and immerse in a novel that we just can’t put down.
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The Most Unforgettable Female Leads in Crime Fiction
“Whether good, bad, or downright despicable, here are eleven of them you should be getting to know…”
By Hannah Mary McKinnon — CrimeReads
There’s been lot of talk about unlikeable characters, in particular female ones, who seem to be given a much harder time than their male counterparts (I know this because I’ve written a fair few). Women protagonists can be strong but not bitchy. Harsh but they must still display a softer side. And for goodness’ sake, beware of making them know-it-alls. For a long time, it appeared the consensus was unlikeable female characters still needed to be, well, likeable.
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What Should You Read Next?
May 20, 2022 — the Best Reviewed Books of the Week
By Book Marks — Literary Hub
Featuring new titles by Jhumpa Lahiri, Emma Straub, Benjamin Myers, Maggie Shipstead, and more.
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May’s Best Psychological Thrillers
new books from Elizabeth Day, Dervla McTiernan, May Cobb, and more.
By Lisa Levy — CrimeReads
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May 2022 Edition of The Big Thrill
The Magazine of the International Thriller Writers
In his first interview with The Big Thrill, bestselling author Don Winslow talks to Dawn Ius about his latest crime thriller—and his big announcement
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The Antagonist in Story Structure
parts 1 and 2
By K.M. Weiland — Helping Writers Become Authors
Especially in a tightly plotted story, the antagonist is every bit as important a driver of the story structure as is the protagonist.
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10 Noteworthy Books for May
By Becky Meloan — The Washington Post
New books this month are out of this world, almost literally, with a fun memoir from a former air hostess and a couple of knockout fantasy and horror titles.
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10 Books You Should Be Reading This May
From thought-provoking nonfiction to visceral fiction
By Tobias Carroll — Inside Hook
If there’s a running theme in this month’s rundown of notable books, it’s the idea of people moving outside of their comfort zone. Here, you’ll find books written by people best known for their work in the film industry; you’ll also find a foray into nonfiction from an author better known for their detailed fictional trips into the future. Whether you’re looking for ruminations on aging or a thrilling trip into a human mind, our recommendations this month have you covered.
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The Best Mystery, Thriller, and True Crime books Out in May
By Jamie Canaves — Book Riot
Spring has sprung, and what better pairing to the beauty of nature than the ugly side of humans and crime?
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The Best New Crime Fiction of May 2022
By CrimeReads
Featuring new books from Adrian McKinty, Isabel Cañas, Elizabeth Day, James Lee Burke, and more.
The CrimeReads editors select their favorite new fiction this month.
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* * CLICK HERE FOR MORE 99 CENT SPECIALS! * *
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April 2022 Book News
Why I Finally Decided to Write a Main Character Who Shares My Ethnicity
By Alma Katsu — CrimeReads
Something happened on my way to writing my next novel, The Fervor (Putnam): it became personal.
The Fervor marks the first time I’ve written a main character with the same ethnicity as mine, Asian American. I had no idea what a different experience this would be.
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We Are Fictional Characters of Our Own Creation
By Nick Chater — Neuropsych
Data suggests that the stories we tell ourselves about our motives, beliefs, and values are not merely unreliable but entirely fictitious.
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New Historical Fiction Books
you’ll want to pick up this spring
By Kirby Beaton — BuzzFeed
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10 New April Novels
The month’s best in crime, mystery, and thrillers.
By CrimeReads
Each month the CrimeReads editors make their selections for the best upcoming fiction in crime, mystery, and thrillers.
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April’s Best
psychological thrillers
By CrimeReads
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10 Crime Novels with Isolated Settings
characters in impossible-to-escape scenarios
By Nell Pattison — CrimeReads
Most crime writers love to torture their characters and put them in impossible situations—it’s what we do best, and that’s why isolated settings work so well. Whether it’s a group of strangers on an island, or friends who find themselves cut off from society due to extreme weather, staging a murder in a situation where those left behind are unable to escape or to contact the outside world for help adds an extra layer of threat and increases the tension.
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New Nonfiction for Spring 2022
By Rebecca Hussey — BookRiot
There are so many great new releases in nonfiction coming out in the next few months! I’ve rounded up some of the most exciting nonfiction to be published this spring, but the list could easily be much longer.
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37 New April Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books
By Cheryl Eddy — GIZMODO
All the titles you need to know while putting together your reading list for the month.
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March 2022 Book News
20 Books We Can’t Wait to Read This Spring
spring preview
Vulture
A host of new fiction and nonfiction titles — including a new memoir by Margo Jefferson, novels by Akwaeke Emezi, Jennifer Egan, and Chantal V. Johnson, and poetry by Ocean Vuong — can help us separate the mistakes we want to leave in the past from the new realities we want to construct for ourselves and each other.
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49 Books Coming Out This Spring
BuzzFeed
From steamy romance and scary thrillers to riveting sci-fi, memoirs, and literary fiction — here are the spring books we couldn’t get enough of.
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The Books Will Keep You Warm
A celebration of small-town libraries and retro mysteries
By Nikki Knight — CrimeReads
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40 Books That Might Help You Write Your Novel
By Rachel Krantz — BuzzFeed
For writers, every single book you read helps you write your book. Even if it’s a book you find badly written, you learn what not to do. As writers, reading is our fuel, our education, our most reliable cure for writer’s block. When in doubt how to proceed, read.
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The Best New March Psychological Thrillers
Boarding school mysteries, estranged sisters, and small-town football clashes
By Lisa Levy — CrimeReads
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When the Crisis Starts
highlights of the week
By Los Angeles Review of Books LARB
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The Best New March Crime Fiction
March features new novels from Kellye Garrett, Alex Segura, Gigi Pandian, Cara Black, and more.
By CrimeReads
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Overgrown Eyesores
Six novels set in abandoned places
By John Searles — Literary Hub
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What’s on a Spy Novelist’s Bookshelf
By Susan Ouellette — Crime Reads
Former intelligence analyst and current spy novelist Susan Ouellette rounds up some essential espionage-adjacent reads.
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Literature Isn’t Bound by the Rules of Time
By Emma Sarappo – The Atlantic
Humans can move through time in only one way: forward, second by second, even when we set the clocks ahead an hour. But literature isn’t bound by the same rules.
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February 2022 Book News
Story 5 Psychological Thrillers You Should Read This February
Office obsessions, wellness retreats, and antiquarian sex magic
By Lisa Levy — CrimeReads
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Three Things That Bugged Me in a Book
By James Scott Bell @ The Kill Zone
Speed Bumps: The more there are along the story road, the less the reader will enjoy the ride. Much of my teaching is devoted to speed bump removal. The downside is that it’s harder for me to read just for pleasure. I can’t help lingering over the bumps I encounter and imagining ways they could have been eliminated.
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Reading Transforms Us
By Marianna Pogosyan Ph.D. — Psychology Today
How books can help us develop our key emotional and cognitive skills.
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Conflict in Fiction
What it really is and why it’s important to plot
By K.M. Weiland
Conflict is one of the central engines of story. We’ve all heard it: no conflict, no story. On the surface, that makes total sense. It’s natural enough for our modern, western minds to conflate conflict and confrontation when we consider fiction.
There’s more to it than that!
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Get Published in 2022
Breaking In Resource Directory from Writer’s Digest
By The Editors of Writer’s Digest
A collection of advice from 41 agents, 39 debut authors, and 27 small presses, to help writers make 2022 the year they get their book published.
It’s a perfect guide for writers looking to get their book published in today’s marketplace.
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