Hello, and welcome to the midsummer slump! I hope you're not withering in the heat. I, for one, will be escaping to the cooler weather of Ireland pretty soon here so if you notice I'm a little quieter over the next couple of weeks, don't worry—I'll be back in full force when it's not as sweltering. Fall can't come fast enough!
One thing I AM loving this summer is HBO's latest gem, Sharp Objects. It's a show adapted from Gillian Flynn's eponymous novel, and it's everything I hoped it would be and more after reading the book—creepy, moody, and intensely unnerving. If you were wondering what Amy Adams is like at her prime, look no further.
Watching the first couple of (extremely well done) episodes of Sharp Objects got me thinking about some of the buzzier movies and television shows from recent memory: Game of Thrones, Gone Girl, Big Little Lies, Orange is the New Black, Room, The Handmaid's Tale, Call Me By Your Name, The Fault In Our Stars...The list goes on and on. And what's the common thread here? Well, all of these were books before they hit the screen. Lately we've been seeing adaptions made left and right. It seems like every day has an old story to tell in a new format, and I have to wonder: why are we so enamored with adaptations?
Book-to-screen adaptations have historically done well with critics—as of 2014, more than 60 Best Picture winners at the Academy Awards were films derived from literature, and we've seen the recent success of adapted television shows at the Golden Globes and the Emmys, where 57% of wins go to adaptations.
Adaptations also have a knack for raking in revenue at the box office, taking in 44% more on average than original screenplays. And what's more, books that are adapted for the screen tend to receive a boost in sales after the release of the adaptation, with some books seeing the largest share of revenue come in decades after the book's initial publication; in some cases, a film adaptation can breathe life back into a book that was forgotten or never remembered in the first place (take, for example, the resurgence of the travel memoir Tracks after the movie came out...33 years after its initial publication).
Clearly, there's some kind of symbiosis happening where adaptations are concerned. I'm curious as to what the exact nature of that relationship is; my hunch is that adaptations often have a built-in fanbase thanks to whatever popularity the literature it's based on had initially, and on top of that, the production will garner whatever attention it was going to regardless from people who hadn't read the book. If the book was popular on its own merit, being adapted can only contribute to its following (at least where sales are concerned—you can't unsell a book). If the book being adapted wasn't well-known to begin with, having it adapted into a TV show or movie is basically a lengthy commercial for the story, and we all know how powerful advertising can be.
The reputation a story has often transcends its medium, so any acclaim a book has will likely stick around as it transitions to the screen and vice versa. Fame feeds off of itself. And then, think about just how much vetting and crafting and blood, sweat, and tears a great book endures on its way to publication. Maybe it's the case—not all the time, but sometimes—that the stories told in adaptations are more thoroughly fleshed out and developed than those told in original screenplays. Maybe the stories told in adaptations are just better, having been through the grinder of two different industries where entertainment value is king. A story told once can be stellar, but what kind of magic is possible when we get the chance to tell it a second time in a completely new medium? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
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B&N Fires CEO
It seems like Barnes & Noble is having some commitment issues with its CEOs... Demos Parneros, the bookstore chain’s latest CEO, was fired earlier this month for “violation of the company’s policies” after holding the position for just over one year. Parneros was installed as CEO in April of 2017 when he replaced interim CEO Len Riggio—B&N’s founder who, back in 2016, stepped in to replace CEO-of-the-season Ron Boire, who was fired after less than a year on the job. The company is on the prowl for a new CEO, though some executives have expressed frustration with the “revolving door at the top.” Here’s hoping the next one is a keeper.
Films based on books take 44% more at the box office
For your daily dose of news that’s actually pretty common sense if you think about it: people enjoy being able to consume stories in a variety of mediums! A study from the Publishers Association shows that movies based off books make more money and generally attract more critical acclaim than original screenplays. The PA study also showed that the books films are based on tend to receive a boost in popularity and revenue upon the film’s release. This reciprocity between books and film speaks volumes about what lies at the heart of entertainment—good stories.
Cooking and Sci-Fi Are the Hot Print Segments This Year So Far
Read on for your mid-year update on what’s popular in publishing. Some highlights: cookbooks and sci-fi are in, religion is on the decline, and politics loom omnipresent, just like in real life. I'm curious to see how political books in particular fare moving forward; given the way things are going, bestsellers can write themselves at this point.
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Powell’s Books CEO to Retire
Miriam Sontz, CEO of Oregon-based indie bookstore chain Powell’s Books, will be retiring come January 2019 after 34 years with the company. In classic booklover fashion, Sontz championed physical books and the “tactile experience” of reading during her tenure as CEO in the midst of a high-tech world. Sontz’s duties will be assumed by Emily Powell, the company’s president and owner, and COO John Kingsbury.
Greensburg’s only bookstore to close and How one innovative bookstore competes with Amazon
A bit of a compare and contrast activity for you here: On one hand we have Greensburg, PA’s only bookstore, Patty Weir’s Paperbacks, closing its doors for good after 30 years; the eponymous owner of the store mentions that, being a used bookstore, a lack of inventory due to the advent of ebooks has been a major factor in deciding to close. On the other hand we have Heywood Hill in London, which in addition to selling books, offers personalized libraries and expertly curated subscription services. Neither of these stores offers ebooks, but Heywood Hill has tapped into something key that Patty Weir’s Paperbacks never got a chance to: the value of “singular, exceptional experiences.” Heywood Hill has found a way to make books magical once again by catering to individuals rather than mass consumption, and it is thriving despite the glitz and glamour of the digital age.
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What I'm Reading Now:
Kitchen Confidential
by Anthony Bourdain
"Frankly confessional, addictively acerbic, and utterly unsparing...Fans will love to return to this deliciously funny, delectably shocking banquet of wild-but-true tales of life in the culinary trade from Chef Anthony Bourdain, laying out his more than a quarter-century of drugs, sex, and haute cuisine—this time with never-before-published material."
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Worth looking at because: I picked this book up in honor of Bourdain's memory a few weeks ago and I've found myself so impressed by his ability to show a seemingly isolated and singular experience, only to zoom out and situate that moment in a broader context that makes it mean so much more. Bourdain's authenticity and his candid treatment of the culinary world is refreshing and, I think, inspirational for anyone seeking to bring more passion and honesty to their writing or their career.
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What I'm Reading Next:
Tracks
by Robyn Davidson
"Enduring sweltering heat, fending off poisonous snakes and lecherous men, chasing her camels when they get skittish and nursing them when they are injured, Davidson emerges as an extraordinarily courageous heroine driven by a love of Australia's landscape, an empathy for its indigenous people, and a willingness to cast away the trappings of her former identity. Tracks is the compelling, candid story of her odyssey of discovery and transformation."
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Worth looking at because: Honestly, what's a better summer read than a book about a bad ass woman leading a pack of camels across the Outback? This book came out in the '80s and we're still talking about Davidson's insane trek today because the story is just that compelling. Also, I've watched some of her interviews and she's a firecracker; I'm sure she'll be extremely entertaining on the page as well.
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- Mendocino Coast Publishing Boot Camp, August 5, 2018, Mendocino, CA
- Whether you attend MCWC in full or not, you can participate in its standalone publishing boot camp (or add it on to your three-day conference package). Jane Friedman, author of The Business of Being a Writer, will guide you through publishing — both traditional and indie —platform building, social media, and more.
- Writer's Digest Annual Conference, August 10-12, 2018, New York City
- The Writer's Digest Conference offers something for all writers. Cassandra Clare, bestselling Young Adult fantasy author, is the opening keynote speaker. The closing keynote will be delivered by Jeff VanderMeer, whose novel Annihilation won the Nebula and Shirley Jackson Awards. The conference also offers workshops on screenwriting, comics, and a pitch slam, where agents and editors will essentially speed-date you as you present your pitch.
- Slice Literary Writers’ Conference, September 8-9, Brooklyn, NY
- This two-day literary conference invites “leading professionals to offer trade secrets about how they transform a great story into a bestselling book.” The workshops and panels offered touch on both the craft and the business of writing, aiming to help writers launch their professional careers as creatives. Bonus: scholarships are available for undergrad and graduate students.
- Researching and Crafting a Compelling Biography, Sep 21, 2018, Santa Fe, CA
- When written well, biographies can be some of the most compelling books. The workshop is hosted by bestselling author and biographer James McGrath Morris and will outline how to conduct research and craft it into a story.
- Steel Pen Annual Writers' Conference, Oct 27, 2018, Fair Oak Farms, IN
- This conference is your chance to learn not only from experts but from your fellow writers. Workshops are intended to be engaging and stimulate conversation between peers. The conference is open to writers of all levels as well. The keynote speech will be given by fiction author Michael Poore.
- BookBaby Independent Authors Conference, November 2-4, Philadelphia, PA
- BookBaby’s first ever Independent Authors Conference was just last year and drew a crowd of over 400 for a weekend of panels and workshops geared toward equipping independent authors with the knowledge and “practical skills they need to publish and market their books and manage careers as independent authors.” This year the event is hoping for even bigger and better and has tapped Joanna Penn of The Creative Penn to be the 2018 keynote speaker.
- LWC}NYC - 2018 Conference, December 6-7, Manhattan, NYC
- The Literary Writers Conference}New York City brands itself as "the conference for the serious writer of fiction, nonfiction and poetry." You'll have two days to rub shoulders with agents from top literary agencies, workshop your elevator pitch and delivery, and whip your query letter into the best shape of its life.
- Publishers Weekly's Fall 2018 Adult Announcements
- Looking for something to look forward to? Check out PW's collection of shortlists for this fall's adult releases. We'll see these books hitting shelves beginning mid-August—much sooner than it seems!
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Disclaimer: This listing is for informative purposes only and does not function as an endorsement.
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