News and Dialogue for the Next Generation of Publishers

Publishing Trendsetter has set out to be relevant to “a new generation of publishers,” and I am firmly of the belief that one of the most valuable things to any “new” generation is a connection to generations that came before, along with a nuanced understanding of what remains constant, what has changed, and why.

Everyone who read last week of the death of George Whitman, age 98,

George Whitman in 1992

and founder of Shakespeare & Co. (the memorial homepage they have up now is stunning; be sure to take a look) bookstore in Paris, had his or her own reason to exclaim aloud and feel a bit punched in the stomach. I myself was reminded of the role that Shakespeare & Co. played in my own “coming of age story” (which I assure you, dear reader, is very much unfinished). But ironically, while thinking of  the great age George achieved, of how long the bookstore itself has been standing there on the Left Bank, and of what a venerable legacy it is heir to, what I thought most vividly was youth and new beginnings.

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Samantha Steele is no stranger to the pages of Trendsetter. Columnist Rachel Stark profiled Sam’s cosmopolitan career with the French Publishers Agency earlier this year, and Samantha and her colleague Brittany Hazelwood at the German Book Office have been loyal friends and allies of Trendsetter from very early on. So bonne année et bonne santé!

Middlesex

...

by Jeffrey Eugenides

Picador

$15.00

My pick for 2011 is Jeffrey Eugenides’ Middlesex. I read this one in anticipation of his latest, The Marriage Plot, but the new one (in my humble opinion) doesn’t hold a candle to this immigrant/coming of age epic. With a plot as twisted and compelling as a thriller, a narrative touch that is nimble enough to span generations, continents, and genders with ease, and a writing style that never ceases to surprise and delight, this is definitely one of the most unforgettable books I read this year—and I read a lot of winners this year!

Grace Vinton works in Publicity at Rand Media Company,  a multi-media publisher producing no-nonsense, multi-platform resources for enriching and improving reading. She suggests giving the gift of time this holiday season. Twilight Zone or TrueLife? (or nothing to do with TV at all??)

The Skinny on Time Management is a book by our publishing house (Rand Media Co, $14.95) that is so crazy helpful. This past year, I have gone back to it from time to time to get tips on how to use my time better. It would make a great gift!

Susan Toy was one of our many wonderful supporters in the blogosphere after the release of Lifecycle of a Book. She’s also a consultant and vocal supporter of authors who are trying to find their place in the changing world of publishing. Make sure to check out her blog.

The Boy

by Betty Jane Hegerat
Published by Oolichan Books, Fernie, BC, Canada

With The Boy, Hegerat has skillfully woven together the fact of investigative journalism with the fiction of a novella using strands of memoir and a writer’s journal. She has created a compelling story surrounding a childhood memory from 1959 when a brutal mass-murder was committed and Robert Raymond Cook found guilty, becoming infamous for being the last man hanged in the province of Alberta.

I know this was a difficult book for Hegerat to write–she herself has described it at readings as “a beast of a book.” But in dredging up the memories, and researching extensively into this crime and the people involved, she has avoided simply retelling the gruesome details and has instead worked her way into the heart of this story, which although a localized event, in Hegerat’s hands it truly becomes universal in interest. Rather than answering questions, Hegerat raises more that should have been askedat the time  – about the crime, the people involved, and how the story of it affected the community at large. This is a story that lives on in your mind long after you close the book.

Joy Azmitia is an Agent at Russell & Volkening Literary Agency. She’s also the first person who agreed to make a video for Life Cycle of a Book, and will therefore always hold a special place in the Trendsetter Hall of Fame slash our hearts. (You can watch her wonderful video on the lit agent life here).

The Weird Sisters

by Eleanor Brown

Amy Einhorn Books (Putnam)

$24.95 Hardcover; $15.00 Paperback

Reason why I would buy this book as a gift this Christmas:  I fell in love with the novel, The Weird Sisters, because of its themes: sisterly bonds, jealousy and betrayal, the disappointments of adulthood, and how to find the way home again after things crumble down around you. The fresh voice and unusual perspective (first-person plural) combine to hint at a sort of collective-consciousness, as if Rosalind, Cordelia, and Bianca are connected so deeply that they can sense each other’s thoughts and agree (or disagree) without words. This novel makes you want to forgive your family, and yourself, for past-imperfections and just love what’s there, which is why this is the perfect Christmas buy.

Joe Deemer is a really fun guy who also happens to be Editor at Printing Industries of America, an organization that supports the needs and endeavors of printers of all sizes and kinds across the US. You can read our fascinating convo with him about all things paper here.

Rules for My Unborn Son

by Walker Lamond
St. Martin’s Press
$14.99

My wife and I had our first child (a son) in February of 2011. I suppose it’s common to be filled with fear and anxiety about all that might happen to him. But thanks to this book, my greatest fear–him growing up to be an ignorant chucklehead–is no longer one of them.

Livia was Trendsetter’s very first intern, and we couldn’t have asked for anyone more perfect to help us find our feet. She’s also the founder and maintainer of the Tumblr phenomenon, Yeah Write!, a creative writing community with more than 12,000 members.

Everything Is Illuminated

Everything Is Illuminated

Jonathan Safran Foer

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

$13.99

Livia says:  “Okay, I know I’m a little behind the boat on this one, but I read it while interning at Trendsetter this summer, and it was definitely my favorite book that I read this year. I loved Foer‘s whimsical and original storytelling, and this is one of those books that is a great read all the way through, but still manages to get even BETTER at the very end. And I’d give it to my friends because the subject matter is very relatable to us 22-year-olds: setting out on your own after college, tracing your family’s path so that you can find your own, accepting the realities of the real world, and all that good stuff. I really can’t imagine anyone not liking this book.”

Read on to find out why Elisabeth chose RADIOACTIVE as the best book to give...

TRUTH: 2011 has been downright superb for Publishing Trendsetter. First of all, we started this year, but we’ve also gathered an incredible circle of friends who’ve give Trendsetter whatever success it’s found, and who have given me, its Editor, invaluable words of support and kindness. You may or may not have ever read an article by them, but they’ve all added some kind of needed “content” to this blogfull of possibilities.

Needless to say, we trust them a lot, and thought to bring some of their impeccable taste to you our readers. What is the best book, we asked them, to give away this holiday season? And their diverse and passionate answers have already started rolling in. We couldn’t be more thrilled to share this with you, because, let’s get serious: I highly disrecommend (that’s right) trying to find a home for yourself in this industry unless sharing the unpredictable alchemy of a book with other people is one of the greatest joys you know.

What book do you most want to share before 2011 is nothing but a memory?

Radioactive by Lauren Redniss, the book I most want to share this Christmas >>>

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That’s the question that Dan Clowes very cheekily asks with the December 5, 2011 cover of The New Yorker. The tricks that booksellers have to use to stay open in this day and age are many: more events, more social media, and–the one this artwork hones in on–more special merchandise. In an article Publishing Trends published back in the fall in preparation for the regional booksellers fairs, we noted that the conferences were offering more workshops and training sessions of starting lines of special merchandise than ever before. But in a world where more and more customers think of books as a thing no one would ever need to buy in person (your Kindle uploads those things, silly!) What’s a bookseller to do? A question as yet unanswered.

THE NEW YORKER, Dec 5, 2011 - Daniel Clowes' "Bookstore"

But this might give you pause for thought as you choose where to buy your holiday gifts–and as you choose what those gifts will be. Mark Twain bobble-head, anyone?

Waleed Hashim

Eight writers, eight days. Lots of creation and mentorship. A few weeks ago in Abu Dhabi, five male and three female authors, ranging in age from 24 to 42, and from seven countries across the Arabic world gathered for the third annual Nadwa. Founded in 2009 by the International Prize for Arabic Fiction, the Nadwa offers a place for eight of the most promising Arab authors to gather and work intensively on a new work of fiction under the mentorship of two established and widely respected authors, and just as importantly, to be encouraged and inspired by each other