Changes to New York Times Bestseller Lists
As part of a larger plan to revamp its coverage of publishing and give more space to coverage beyond bestseller lists, the New York Times has cut several bestseller lists. Weirdly, the exact number of removed lists could not be confirmed, but we do know that the lists for graphic novels/manga, mass market paperbacks, middle grade ebooks, and young adult ebooks will be among the missing. While some publishers lament the new challenges these changes will present as they attempt to communicate a book’s success in-house and in the marketplace, what I’d like to see is an industry finally acknowledge the arbitrary and incomplete nature of these lists and just…decide they don’t really matter.
Roxane Gay Pulls Book from Simon & Schuster in Response to Milo Yiannopoulous Deal
Roxane Gay, whose TED book How to Be Heard (how’s that title for a nice coincidence?) was due to be published in March 2018, has pulled the book from Simon & Schuster in response to the now-widely known $250K book deal with white nationalist Milo Yiannopoulous. In a comment published at BuzzFeed, Gay notes how “egregious it is to give someone like Milo a platform for his blunt, inelegant hate and provocation” and reminds readers that this is not about censorship. She also notes that she recognizes not all S & S authors are in a position to make this decision. Here’s hoping that more of those who can make the sacrifice will follow Gay’s lead.
Related: see this note from Simon & Schuster CEO Carolyn Reidy, promising that the book will not include hate speech.
The Bronx Set to Have a Bookstore Again
When the Barnes & Noble Co-op City location closed in late 2016, the Bronx — home to 1.4 million people and 10 colleges in just 42.7 square miles — was left without a bookstore. That’s all about to change thanks to Noëlle Santos, who is currently raising funds to open The Lit.Bar, a bookstore-wine bar, in the South Bronx neighborhood. Some Riot readers may remember hearing about Noëlle on the Book Riot Podcast or meeting her at Book Riot Live. If you’re looking for a literary cause to support, take a look at the Indiegogo campaign–she has done her homework!–and consider chipping in. Rock on, Noëlle.
Thanks to The Girl in the Garden by Melanie Wallace for sponsoring This Week in Books.
When June arrives on the coast of New England, baby in arms, an untrustworthy man by her side, Mabel—who rents them a cabin—senses trouble. A few days later, the girl and her child are abandoned. June is soon placed with Mabel’s friend, Iris, in town, and her life becomes entwined with a number of locals who have known one another for decades: a wealthy recluse with a tragic past; a forsaken daughter returning for the first time in years; a lawyer, whose longings he can never reveal; and a kindly World War II veteran who serves as the town’s sage. Surrounded by the personal histories and secrets of others, June finds the way forward for herself and her son amid revelations of the others’ pasts, including loves—and crimes—from years ago.