By: Audrey Niffenegger,
on 10/22/2015
Describe your latest book. I recently edited and illustrated a collection of ghost stories, Ghostly. It features stories by E. A. Poe, Neil Gaiman, Saki, Kelly Link, and M. R. James, and also some stories by writers who one might not associate with ghost stories, including A. S. Byatt, P. G. Wodehouse, and Edith Wharton. [...]
By: Tessa,
on 10/6/2015
Marshall's eerie, violent, beautiful dystopian story feels all too real when seen through the eyes of her remarkable main character. James is a student at the combination school/prison Goodhouse because of his genetic sequence, not because of anything he's done wrong. But the longer he's there, the more threats abound. This unusual novel is both [...]
By: Salman Rushdie,
on 9/3/2015
Describe your latest book. Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights is a fairy-tale of New York (well, mostly New York). New York with added genies (jinn). It's about a jinnia princess, Dunia, who acquires a large number of human offspring, and uses them to help her battle an invasion of our world by the [...]
By: Powell's Staff,
on 8/18/2015
At Powell's, our book buyers select all the new books in our vast inventory. If we need a book recommendation, we turn to our team of resident experts. Need a gift idea for a fan of vampire novels? Looking for a guide that will best demonstrate how to knit argyle socks? Need a book for [...]
By: Powell's Staff,
on 8/4/2015
At Powell's, our book buyers select all the new books in our vast inventory. If we need a book recommendation, we turn to our team of resident experts. Need a gift idea for a fan of vampire novels? Looking for a guide that will best demonstrate how to knit argyle socks? Need a book for [...]
By: Tracey T.,
on 7/9/2015
A '70s street punk and a new millennia stuntwoman team up to fight evil angels and their minions, who are quietly destroying humanity. Irreverent and funny with heart-pounding action, The Unnoticeables is a hard-rocking summer read. Best read while wearing an old Ramones T-shirt. Books mentioned in this post The Unnoticeables Robert Brockway Sale Hardcover [...]
By: Tate,
on 5/20/2015
Cancel all your plans: once you start Stephenson's widely anticipated, deliciously meaty new novel, you won't be able to put it down. An exploding moon sets the stage for an epic tale spanning 5,000 years as humanity must find a way to survive the devastating aftereffects: earth's gradual but imminent demise. Books mentioned in this [...]
By: Fredericka,
on 3/30/2015
What do you get when you take Sherlock Holmes and make Henry James his sidekick, mixing reality, fiction, and mystery into a historical pastiche? An entertaining and brilliant adventure that fans of Dan Simmons will gobble up with glee! Books mentioned in this post
By: Adrienne,
on 3/13/2015
When Detective Gabriella Versado finds the strange deer-boy body, she's on the case, and her daughter Layla is on her own adventure! An immensely enjoyable, fast-paced, super-scarey read. Unforgettable characters are vividly portrayed in a Detroit city setting. The amazing Lauren Beukes skillfully weaves this captivating tale to its fantastical conclusion! Books mentioned in this [...]
By: Mary Jo,
on 3/2/2015
A delicious cornucopia of Gaiman's short fiction. Dip in and enjoy. There's a bit of everything here, from Doctor Who to an unpublished American Gods story. Once again, Gaiman waves his magician's wand and we are swept away to slightly disturbing and eerie lands. Books mentioned in this post Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and... Neil [...]
By: Kelly Link, Holly Black, and Cassandra Clare,
on 2/9/2015
[Kelly Link will be at Powell's City of Books for a reading on Wednesday, February 18, at 7:30 p.m. Click here for details.] In a joint social media call-out, authors Kelly Link, Holly Black, and Cassandra Clare invited readers to ask them anything they wanted. Below are some of those questions and responses. Q: Where [...]
By: Xander,
on 1/16/2015
You'll lose yourself in this riveting post-apocalyptic series in which the villains all have superpowers and the rebels committed to fight them are a motley crew of humans. If you haven't read Sanderson's Steelheart, DO IT — so you can dive into Firefight. Books mentioned in this post Firefight (Reckoners) Brandon Sanderson New Hardcover $18.99
By: Corie,
on 1/13/2015
Fans of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter will want to follow the further adventures of vampire Henry Sturges as he navigates his way through the centuries. Tag along as Henry meets almost every pivotal individual in history: Teddy Roosevelt, Adolf Hitler, Bram Stoker, and my personal favorite, Tesla, to name just a handful. Fun and smart [...]
By: Chris Faatz,
on 1/9/2015
For decades, Prometheus Books has put out titles we both love and respect. Prometheus is the leading publisher in the United States of books on free thought, humanism, and atheism — as well as many more titles that serve to fire up the human mind. In fact, that almost seems to be the sole reason [...]
By: Doug C.,
on 1/5/2015
In The Abominable, Simmons draws the reader into the world of 1920s high-risk mountain climbers, building and rebuilding that world and raising the stakes, the tension, and the danger in unexpected and shocking ways. This is a luxurious and thrilling adventure. Books mentioned in this post The Abominable Dan Simmons Used Trade Paper $12.50
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By: Brian A. Klems,
on 1/4/2015
Reminder: New literary agents (with this spotlight featuring Kirsten Carleton of Waxman Leavell Literary Agency) are golden opportunities for new writers because each one is a literary agent who is likely building his or her client list.
About Kirsten: Before joining Waxman Leavell in 2014, Kirsten worked at Sobel Weber Associates. She holds a B.A. in English with a Creative Writing concentration from Amherst College, and a Graduate Certificate in Publishing from the Columbia Publishing Course. Follow her on Twitter: @kirstencarleton
(The skinny on why to sign with a new/newer literary agent.)
Kirsten is seeking: Upmarket young adult, speculative, and literary fiction with strong characters and storytelling. She’s particularly interested in novels that bend and blur genres; literary takes on high concept worldbuilding; diverse characters in stories that are not just about diversity; antiheroes she find herself rooting for; characters with drive and passion; girls and women in STEM fields; settings outside the US/Europe; well-researched historical settings; YA noir/thriller/mystery; stories that introduces her to a new subculture and makes her feel like a native. She is not interested in horror, romance, erotica, poetry, or picture books.
How to submit: Send a query letter with the first five to ten pages of your manuscript in the body of the email only to kirstensubmit [at] waxmanleavell.com.
(Is it best to query all your target agents at once? — or just a few to start?)
The biggest literary agent database anywhere
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most recent updated edition online at a discount.
Other writing/publishing articles & links for you:
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By: Brian A. Klems,
on 12/21/2014
Reminder: New literary agents (with this spotlight featuring Leon Husock of L. Perkins Agency) are golden opportunities for new writers because each one is a literary agent who is likely building his or her client list.
About Leon: Prior to joining the L. Perkins Agency, Leon was an associate agent at Anderson Literary Management. He has a BA in Literature from Bard College and attended the Columbia Publishing Course. Leon is actively building his client list. Follow him on Twitter: @leonhusock.
(Why writers who don’t have a basic website are hurting their chances of success.)
He is seeking: He has a particular interest in science fiction & fantasy, young adult and middle-grade novels filled with strong characters and original premises, but keeps an open mind for anything that catches his eye. He is also looking for historical fiction set in the 20th century, particularly the 1980s or earlier. He is not interested in nonfiction at this time.
How to contact: E-query him at leon [at] lperkinsagency.com.
(Do you need multiple literary agents if you write different genres?)
The biggest literary agent database anywhere
is the Guide to Literary Agents. Pick up the
most recent updated edition online at a discount.
I (Chuck) Will Instruct At These Great Writing Events Soon:
Your new complete and updated instructional guide
to finding an agent is finally here: The 2015 book
GET A LITERARY AGENT shares advice from more
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the agent database, Guide to Literary Agents.
By: Mary Jo Schimelpfenig,
on 12/10/2014
Here are the books that knocked my socks off in 2014. All of them would make great gifts; each of them was truly something that evoked that inexpressible delight of finding an author you are excited about. ÷ ÷ ÷ Prince of Fools (Red Queen's War #1) by Mark Lawrence Prince of Fools is essentially [...]
By: William Gibson,
on 12/5/2014
At Powell's, we feel the holidays are the perfect time to share our love of books with those close to us. For this special blog series, we reached out to authors featured in our Holiday Gift Guide to learn about their own experiences with book giving during this bountiful time of year. Today's featured giver [...]
By: Adrienne,
on 10/17/2014
Lush and Lovecraftian writing sends one into this otherworldly experience. An awesome beginning to the Southern Reach Trilogy! Books mentioned in this post Annihilation (Southern Reach Trilogy #1) Jeff VanderMeer Used Trade Paper $8.95
By: Adrienne,
on 10/17/2014
Do not read any reviews of this book. Just read it. And read it now. (The less you know from the start, the better the read.) I loved Melanie! She loves books and reading and learning. She is really smart. This book is so enjoyable and is one of the best books I've read this [...]
By: Dianah,
on 9/18/2014
An homage to the institute of the fading British holiday centers, Graham Joyce tells an addictive tale here. David, a university student, spends his 1976 summer working at the rundown Skegness resort — a hot, sticky, and ladybug-infested summer — in order to escape home. Something has brought him here, although he's not sure what, [...]
By: Hobie,
on 9/10/2014
Leviathan Wakes is an excellent, fast-paced, well-thought-out version of a near-future, space-faring humanity. Full of actual science, realistic characters, and a believable human future, the novel contains some very intriguing ideas about space combat and possible alien life. I'd recommend this book to hard-core science fiction lovers along with just about anyone. Books mentioned in [...]
By: Richard Kadrey,
on 8/19/2014
Describe your latest book. The Getaway God is the sixth book in the Sandman Slim series. In it, the very unholy nephilim, James Stark, aka Sandman Slim, has made a few enemies. None, though, are as fearsome as the vindictive Angra Om Ya — the insatiable, destructive old gods. But their imminent invasion is just [...]
By: Mary Jo Schimelpfenig,
on 8/12/2014
After 10 long years, Robin Hobb revisits two of her most beloved characters, Fitz and the Fool, with Fool's Assassin. If the ending of Fool's Fate made you want to fling the book across the room, you'll be happy to hear that Fitz and the Fool do meet up again. The opening of Fool's Assassin [...]
