April Endnotes

Helpful and interesting stuff I found online

While I haven’t been writing much this year, I have been reading and collecting the interesting things I’ve read! Here are my favorite bookish articles I think every nonfiction writer needs to see right now.

On Writing (Nonfiction)

Nonfiction Authors to Read on Substack

Let’s keep in mind that being a writer means being part of a community of thought and knowing how to contribute something meaningful to the broader discourse. We think of writing happening in a vacuum, but writing actually happens in response to other stuff you read. Plus, the other writers in your community will become your biggest cheerleaders and future endorsers/foreword writers. So, you know, you should probably be supporting their work and getting to know it. Here’s a good list to start with.

Nonfiction Taxonomy

A “taxonomy” just means a method of categorizing and breaking apart the pieces of something. In this case, nonfiction! My coauthor Liz and I did a similar exercise in preparing to write Hungry Authors because we needed a way to talk about genre in Ch. 2. We ended up cutting a large portion of that chapter because it was just way too long and included stuff you probably don’t need. But I love thinking about all of this! If you’re nerdy like me, you’re going to appreciate this deep dive into nonfiction and all of its various subcategories.

On Publishing

Set realistic expectations for your first advance

And I just don’t mean for the amount of money. (Although, as I explained last week, advances are a reflection of how many copies of your book a publisher thinks they can sell… which may not be as many as you think.) Really, what’s cool about this advance breakdown from my friend Brendan O’Meara is his transparent look at when he received the pieces of his advance. Because you don’t just receive one lump sum all at once. Oh yeah, and there are taxes. Even if your advance is a pretty high dollar amount, it breaks down differently than you might expect. Something to keep in mind so you don’t quit your day job to write your book.

A summary of the London Book Fair

The London Book Fair was a month ago now, but I still think this debrief on the international market and book trends from agent Anna Sproul-Latimer is worth the read!

Hungry Agents (and Editors!) Need Hungry Authors

One of the points Liz and I make in Hungry Authors is that hungry agents and editors are looking for hungry authors - and that’s exactly the point of this great post from Alia Hanna Habib interviewing five up and coming agents who are actively looking for authors right now! Time to brush up your proposals, friends.

Other Bookish Things

The Font You’ve Seen Everywhere But Never Knew the Name Of

Turns out, it’s Gorton.

A Better Way to Use “But”

My former editorial director at my last job was (and is!) one of the most thoughtful communicators I’ve ever worked with. My goal is to be as poised and eloquent as her someday. One of the things she does incredibly well is not using the word “but.” I remember her delivering hard news, pausing midsentence where we could all anticipate a “but” coming, and instead she would say, “And…” and carry on. I have tried to similarly reframe the way I deliver news and feedback to authors, being careful to use “and” more. And yet… sometimes you just can’t avoid a “but.” That’s where this article from Wes Kao comes in.

Most Popular Book in Every State

This is fascinating! See how different your reading tastes are (or aren’t!) from this map of what people are reading.

What’s it like to own a bookstore?

Like many, I have dreamed of opening a bookstore (especially since I live in a bookstore desert!). So I love this deep dive into what that is really like from one of my favorite authors, Ryan Holiday.

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What are you reading that’s been interesting? How are you keeping your head above the depressing political waters?

Happy weekend, friends!