Adult Fiction
Lynne Tillman
Soft Skull, Mar.
$16.95 paperback
Why the buzz: “Lynne Tillman, a beloved author/critic who is also an NBCC Finalist and a Guggenheim recipient, is returning to the literary scene with her first novel in 12 years, Men and Apparitions. Lynne is not only a brilliantly original novelist but one of our most prominent thinkers on visual art and culture today; we believe this book will be adored and treasured by her many fans.”
—Megan Fishmann, associate publisher/director of publicity, Soft Skull
Publicity & marketing plans: Four-city author tour; independent bookseller outreach; strategic online advertising; social media, targeted email, and online promotion.
Opening: “The end doesn’t depend on the beginning, it upends beginnings, also provokes new ones.”
Varina
Charles Frazier
Ecco, Apr.
$27.99 hardcover
Announced first printing: 500,000
Why the buzz: “I’m honored to have Charles Frazier on the Ecco list with a new book that takes us back to the landscape of his Cold Mountain. It’s a novel about [the real-life] Varina Howell Davis, a fascinating, if little-known, woman who questioned the institution of slavery, but whose choices nevertheless landed her on the wrong side of history. This is Frazier at his best, as he tackles the perennially absorbing period in our country’s history when political and social divisiveness led to a catastrophic war. Addressing complicity in the face of history makes this novel feel surprisingly timely and fresh.”
—Daniel Halpern, publisher, Ecco
Publicity & marketing plans: 20-city tour; presell events; preorder incentive campaign; IndieBound White Box mailing; major print, radio, and online advertising; author video; library marketing; Goodreads campaign; book club kit; library outreach.
Opening: ”If she comes down, where to begin? He would have been maybe six the last time they saw each other, if he is the boy in the blue book.”
We Own the Sky
Luke Allnutt
Park Row, Apr.
$26.99 hardcover
Announced first printing: 150,000
Why the buzz: “Luke Allnutt’s soaring debut is a heartrending and life-affirming novel—a true testament to the immense power of love. Already a phenomenon slated to be published in more than 30 countries, this tender, unforgettable story of a father’s journey through grief and redemption has touched a deep chord of recognition with early readers around the globe and with our entire team at Park Row.”
—Liz Stein, senior editor, Harlequin
Publicity & marketing plans: Advertising campaign; early reader campaign to book groups and social reading networks; promotion through early reader review programs, including Goodreads; librarian outreach; online promotion, including social media and book bloggers; support through BookClubbish social media properties and newsletters; featured title at BookClubbish and parkrowbooks.com.
Opening: “She read up a storm before she left.”
Motherhood
Sheila Heti
Holt, May
$26 hardcover
Announced first printing: 60,000
Why the buzz: “I am a mother of two teenagers (and someone for whom becoming a mother wasn’t a particularly agonizing decision), and this book has reframed the discussion of motherhood for me. Philosophical, funny, and fiercely honest, Sheila Heti tracks her narrator’s struggle to make the monumental decision of whether to have a child and in the process sheds new light on all aspects of women’s lives.” —Gillian Blake, editor-in-chief, Henry Holt
Publicity & marketing plans: Author tour; prepub buzz campaign, including Goodreads and influencer outreach; digital advertising; op-ed campaign; library and academic marketing.
Opening: “I often beheld the world at a great distance, or I didn’t behold it at all.”
Welcome to Lagos
Chibundu Onuzo
Catapult, May
$26 hardcover
Why the buzz: “There’s been a lot of talk of late about the lack of new political fiction available to American readers, but sometimes we have to look beyond our own borders for stories that illuminate our situation. Welcome to Lagos is an important, empathetic novel that also manages to be funny, and charismatic, and wildly entertaining. Onuzo’s writing embodies exactly the kind of freedom and humor and inventiveness that a rotten regime will always seek to squash.”
—Jonathan Lee, senior editor, Catapult
Publicity & marketing plans: Indie Next push; outreach to librarians and book clubs; Goodreads (print and digital) and paid social media promotions; creative co-op available for bookstores.
Opening: “Evening swept through the Delta: half an hour of mauve before the sky bruised to black.”
How Hard Can It Be?
Allison Pearson
St. Martin’s, June
$27.99 hardcover
Announced first printing: 250,000
Why the buzz: “Allison Pearson’s debut, I Don’t Know How She Does It, is regarded as ‘the definitive social comedy of working motherhood’ (Washington Post). It started a necessary conversation about women’s lives and went on to sell four million copies worldwide. Her new novel brings Kate Reddy back. She’s now pushing 50. Her children have turned into impossible teenagers; her parents and in-laws are in declining health; and her husband is having a midlife crisis. And the old flame she thought she left behind has turned up at the worst possible moment. I find myself quoting the book constantly, because Allison writes with such gorgeous truth and humor.”
—Dori Weintraub, v-p, publicity, St. Martin’s
Publicity & marketing plans: 10-city author tour; advertising, including People; targeted digital advertising; Facebook advertising campaign; early reader review campaign; in-store merchandising kit; national media lunch.
Opening: “Funny thing is I never worried about getting older.”
There, There
Tommy Orange
Knopf, June
$25.95 hardcover
Announced first printing: 125,000
Why the buzz: “I was blown away by Tommy’s voice, which seemed to me to just explode off of the page with poetry and rage and beauty. It was a voice I’d never heard before, ever. Tommy writes about the plight of the urban native American, the native experience in the city, with such urgency and intensity and emotion that I found I was literally gripping the sides of my desk as I read the manuscript. It’s an overpowering reading experience, and I think the book is destined to become a classic.”
—Jordan Pavlin, v-p, executive editor, Knopf
Publicity & marketing plans: Eight- to 10-city author tour; print, online, and social media advertising on Facebook and Instagram; Goodreads and First to Read giveaways; PRH samplers; giveaways on Knopf Instagram; reading group guide.
Opening: ”There was an Indian head, the head of an Indian, the drawing of the head of a headdressed, long haired, Indian depicted, drawn by an unknown artist in 1939, broadcast until the late 1970s to American TVs everywhere after all the shows ran out.”
Southernmost
Silas House
Algonquin, June
$26.95 hardcover
Announced first printing: 35,000
Why the buzz: “I’ve been a fan of Silas’s novels for many years, having edited his first three novels. But this novel breaks new ground, wading into the difficult intersection of fundamentalism and sexuality. In tracing the path of one man’s evolution from judgment to acceptance, Silas House renders a loving and honest portrait of rural America in all its contradictions, and the spiritual battles that still rage. This novel really hit home for me.”
—Kathy Pories, executive editor, Algonquin Books
Publicity & marketing plans: 12-city author tour; prepub advertising; print and online advertising; major galley distribution; library marketing campaign; online marketing and social media campaign.
Opening: “The rain had been falling with a pounding meanness, without ceasing for two days, and then the water rose all at once in the middle of the night, a brutal rush so fast Asher thought at first a dam might have broken somewhere upstream.”
Lake Success
Gary Shteyngart
Random House, Sept.
$28 hardcover
Why the buzz: ”First of all, Gary is unique. He’s one of the most biting, brilliant authors I’ve ever worked with, and his famous razor sharp humor is everywhere in this novel. But he’s also shaped two powerful, all-too-human characters who grapple with serious issues of love, marriage, and parenting. As Gary exposes their weaknesses in hilarious, heartbreaking ways, we come to better understand the realities of our present world, capable of great superficiality and harm, but also of redemption, forgiveness, and understanding.”
—Susan Kamil, executive v-p, publisher, Random House
Publicity & marketing plans: Author tour; online review and feature attention; NPR and social media campaign; digital advertising.
Opening: “Barry Cohen, a man with 2.4 billion dollars of assets under management, staggered into the Port Authority Bus Terminal.”
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
Hank Green
Dutton, Oct.
$26 hardcover
Announced first printing: 150,000
Why the buzz: “We’re thrilled to publish the much-anticipated debut novel by Hank Green—best known for his enormously popular Vlogbrothers YouTube channel that he created with his brother, bestselling author John Green. Hank’s debut is a cinematic tale about a young woman who finds herself a sudden celebrity in the middle of an international mystery—and realizes she is part of something bigger than anyone could possibly imagine. The novel is compulsively readable, full of nonstop action and timely themes.”
—Maya Ziv, executive editor, Dutton
Publicity & marketing plans: 10-city book tour; advertising; NPR campaign; 20-city radio satellite tour; online promotion; social media promotion; library marketing campaign.
Adult Nonfiction
How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence
Michael Pollan
Penguin Press, May
$28 hardcover
Why the buzz: “[This] is Michael Pollan’s bravest and, I suspect, most important book. It’s the culmination of many years of work. The science and history of psychedelics have undergone a sea change since the ’60s, and what we know now can revolutionize the way we live, the way we recover from what life brings us, and ultimately the way we die. This is a work of participatory journalism, but it’s much more than that. The remarkable thing about Michael Pollan is that his scholarship and journalistic rigor are worn lightly, but they are the underpinning of the whole powerful argument.”
— Ann Godoff, president and editor-in-chief, Penguin Press
Publicity & marketing plans: Author tour; op-eds at publication; tie-in to author’s lecture schedule; advertising; comprehensive online and social media campaign; early outreach to science, food, and medical communities; targeted promotions to fans of previous books; academic marketing and library promotions.
Opening: “Midway through the twentieth century, two unusual new molecules, organic compounds with a striking family resemblance, exploded upon the West. In time, they would change the course of social, political, and cultural history, as well as the personal histories of the millions of people who would eventually introduce them to their brains.”
Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist
Franchesca Ramsey
Grand Central, May
$27 hardcover
Announced first printing: 50,000
Why the buzz: ”I knew from the moment I met Franchesca that I wanted to be a part of this book. Her voice is one that readers need to hear. Urgently. She radiates genuine optimism—even as she tackles critical issues, she finds a way to laugh. Her book shows us that if you don’t make mistakes, you can’t grow. We all need space to recognize what we don’t know, to do the work, and to ultimately do better.”
— Brittany McInerney, editor, Grand Central Publishing
Publicity & marketing plans: Five-city author tour; prepub media luncheon; presell tour; prepub buzz campaign; early reader campaign to book groups and social reading networks; book trailer; social media and e-newsletter campaign; blogger and social media influencer campaign; online and social media advertising.
Opening: “If I could do it all over again, I would have bought a better wig.”
One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy
Carol Anderson
Bloomsbury, Nov.
$26 hardcover
Announced first printing: 100,000
Why the buzz: “After the impressive and continuing success of Carol Anderson’s White Rage—a New York Times bestseller in both hardcover and paperback, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, and already in its fifth paperback printing—we’re thrilled and honored to be publishing Carol’s timely and critically urgent look at voter suppression, One Person, No Vote. With the midterm elections upon us, this is the right book at the right time.”
—Nancy Miller, associate publisher and editorial director, Bloomsbury
Publicity & marketing plans: Six-city or more author tour; a consumer preorder campaign; advertising; dynamic social media campaign featuring excerpts; extensive community marketing for City Reads and book groups; library and academic marketing.
Opening: “It was a mystery worthy of Raymond Chandler.
Adult Poetry
Not Here
Hieu Minh Nguyen
Coffee House, Apr.
$16.95 paperback
Announced first printing: 10,000
Why the buzz: ”These are gut-punch heartbreaking poems. Hieu’s sadness is matter-of-fact, and we feel it with him. These poems are candid about sexuality, often seen through the lens of war and its emotional aftermath, in all its pleasure, but also in the loneliness it can often leave us with. Hieu places his own body at the center of everything, and we are with him as he feels torn apart both physically and emotionally.”
—Chris Fischbach, acquiring editor and publisher,
Coffee House Press
Publicity & marketing plans: 10-city author tour; early access copies; some advertising; Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads giveaways; promotion on Coffee House e-newsletter, website, and social media channels.
Opening: ”In the beginning there was corn, a whole state of boys, blond as the plants surrounding them.”
Children’s/YA
Brendan Wenzel
Chronicle, Mar.
$17.99 hardcover
Ages 3–5
Announced first printing: 75,000
Why the buzz: “The animals are irresistible, and Brendan’s mastery of color and texture and mixed media is breathtaking. But what I love most of all is how the book, just like nature, celebrates the diversity, interconnectedness, and preciousness of living things in a way that seems simple at first glance but becomes more complex and absorbing the longer you look.”
—Ginee Seo, executive publishing director, children’s books, Chronicle
Publicity & marketing plans: Author appearances; floor display; animated trailer; print and online advertising; posters, teacher guides, and activity kits.
Opening: “Hello Hello”
Alma and How She Got Her Name
Juana Martinez-Neal
Candlewick, Apr.
$15.99 hardcover
Ages 4–8
Why the buzz: “Everyone who has met curious, creative Alma—or her gifted creator—has fallen in love. There’s a universal appeal to hearing the story of your name, and rising star Juana Martinez-Neal’s beautiful art in her debut as author-illustrator brings the story of a little girl with what she thinks is a too-long name to vivid life. We’re especially excited to be publishing simultaneously in English and Spanish.”
—Jennifer Roberts, v-p, publicity, and executive director, marketing campaigns, Candlewick Press
Publicity & marketing plans: Author appearances; consumer, trade, school, and library advertising; national publicity campaign; librarian and teacher outreach; activity kit; poster and limited-edition prints; promotion at conferences and previews.
Opening: “Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela had a long name—too long, if you asked her.”
Roshani Chokshi
Rick Riordan Presents, Mar.
$16.99 hardcover
Ages 8–12
Announced first printing: 100,000
Why the buzz: “Aru Shah and the End of Time is the inaugural title in Rick Riordan’s imprint at Disney-Hyperion, Rick Riordan Presents, [which is] dedicated to putting the spotlight on gifted authors who want to tell stories based on their own cultures. And talk about gifted—bestselling author Roshani Chokshi has woven a breathlessly paced, hilarious, and imaginative quest adventure with elements of Hindi mythology. Full of unusual characters and surprising twists, it celebrates girl power and friendship.” —Stephanie Owens Lurie, editorial director, Rick Riordan Presents
Publicity & marketing plans: Seven-city author tour; blog tour; floor display; online advertising; White Box mailing; author q&a video interview featuring Rick Riordan; specially packaged teaser mailing to key accounts; prepub promotional blogger/vlogger campaign tapping into the Percy Pack (online ambassadors of all things Rick Riordan) with designated hashtag and sponsored BookTuber videos on YouTube; teacher’s guide; excerpt in The Hammer of Thor paperback and Trials of Apollo, Burning Maze hardcover; back of book ads in print and e-books across Rick Riordan backlist titles; cross-promotion with Rick Riordan’s social media followers, Disney Books social, Percy Jackson Facebook page, and Disney Digital Network; cover and excerpt reveal.
Opening: “The problem with growing up around highly dangerous things is that after a while you just get used to them.”
Children of Blood and Bone: Book 1, Legacy of Orisha
Tomi Adeyemi
Holt, Mar.
$18.99 hardcover
Ages 12 and up
Why the buzz: “I read Tomi’s manuscript in one mesmerized sitting, covered in chills, often through a blur of tears. This is groundbreaking fantasy, an adventure that sweeps you to a dazzling world full of spirits and warriors on snow leopards, but also reveals powerful truths about our reality. At its heart, this book is about how to reclaim your magic and rise up, a message we hope becomes a rallying cry for young readers.”
—Tiff Liao, editor, Henry Holt BYR
Publicity & marketing plans: Author tour; extensive prepub author appearances.
Opening: “I try not to think of her.”
Munmun
Jesse Andrews
Amulet, Apr.
$18.99 hardcover
Ages 12 and up
Announced first printing: 100,000
Why the buzz: “We are incredibly proud to publish such a wild and exciting and urgent a book as Munmun. Jesse Andrews has created a language and society based on our own, but with several key differences, one of which is that money (munmun) is linked to a person’s physical size. He makes the differences between classes literally huge, rendering visible the often-unseen cracks in society that let some people take and take while keeping others trapped exactly where they are.”
—Maggie Lehrman, executive editor, Amulet
Publicity & marketing plans: Author tour; prepub buzz campaign; print, online, and social media advertising; extensive social media campaign and shareable graphics; promotional author video; branded website; backlist e-book value-priced promotion; school, library, and trade conference promotions.
Opening: “Being littlepoor is notsogood.”
Neverworld Wake
Marisha Pessl
Delacorte, June
$18.99 hardcover
Ages 12 and up
Why the buzz: “I’m a fan of Marisha Pessl’s adult novels. In this, her third novel, she didn’t change her style or process in any major way. Neverworld Wake is a penetrating psychological suspense thriller with a sci-fi twist that pulls readers into different worlds that are connected to the here and now. As frightening as some of these are, the future is ultimately hopeful. I think readers will have more compassion for themselves and others after they’ve read this empowering novel.”
—Beverly Horowitz, senior v-p and publisher, Delacorte Press
Publicity & marketing plans: Author tour at on-sale date; prepub buzz campaign and author tour; advertising; merchandising and promotional materials for retailers; “First in Line” pick of the month promotions; promotion at book festivals and at GetUnderlined.com and @GetUnderlined social channels; summer reading book club promotion.
Opening: “I hadn’t spoken to Whitley Lansing—or any of them—in over a year.”
Tell Me No Lies
Adele Griffin
Algonquin, June
$18.95 hardcover
Ages 12 and up
Announced first printing: 30,000
Why the buzz: “Adele Griffin is master of the slow burn, and a genius at creating layered, complex characters and relationships that make you believe you could walk straight into the lives of those you’ve met in her pages. Tell Me No Lies swept me to the heart of the ’80s—the music, the art, the clothes—with a story of love and longing, deception and revelation that both depends on and transcends a vivid time and place.”
—Elise Howard, publisher and editor,
Algonquin Young Readers
Publicity & marketing plans: Author appearances at teen book festivals; advertising; consumer newsletter campaign; major galley mailings and giveaways; extensive online promotion and social media campaign, including countdown to pub date with top ’80s music picks; dedicated promotion to librarians and educators.
Opening: “The new girl arrived at Argyll on the Tuesday after Columbus Day weekend, a month late for the start of school.”
Farrah Penn
Little, Brown/Patterson, Mar.
Ages 12 and up
$17.99 hardcover
Announced first printing: 75,000
Why the buzz: “Over 26 million children in America are exposed to alcoholism in their family, and there are few books in the YA genre about living with this problem. This sensitive, authentically voiced debut novel follows a girl’s search for normalcy, acceptance, and forgiveness following her father’s troubled return to sobriety. She’s learning that while things can never return to the way they were, they can absolutely change for the better.”
—Erinn McGrath, associate director of publicity, Little, Brown
Publicity & marketing plans: Five-to-seven–city author tour; select festival and conference appearances; prepub buzz campaign; cover reveal; advertising in March and April; major ARC distribution; Amazon Vine promotion; blogger, bookstagram, and BookTuber outreach; major social media campaign, including dedicated hashtag and shareable graphics; promotion on James Patterson digital channels; post-publication social media influencer campaign in April; cover reveal on Bustle.
Opening: “I used to think the worst moment of my life happened in eighth grade when I got caught stealing the latest issue of Cosmopolitan from 7-Eleven because I didn’t have four dollars to learn all the secrets of being a great kisser. I was wrong.”
The Poet X
Elizabeth Acevedo
HarperTeen, Mar.
$17.99 hardcover
Ages 13 and up
Announced first printing: 75,000
Why the buzz: “In her YA debut, award-winning poet Elizabeth Acevedo tells the story in hard-hitting and powerful verse of Xiomara, a teen growing up in Harlem who finds herself through writing and performing poetry. Elizabeth is one of the most exciting new writers to come along in a long time, and as soon as I read her manuscript, I knew I had to publish it. It’s fresh and revealing and focuses on a sympathetic heroine who deserves to have her voice heard.”
—Rosemary Brosnan, v-p, editorial director, HarperTeen
Publicity & marketing plans: Author tour; extensive galley outreach prepublication, including an IndieBound White Box mailing, online galley giveaways, and promotion at festivals and conventions; online advertising; extensive online promotion and social advertising campaign; extensive school and library promotion.
Opening: “The summer is made for stoop-sitting/ and since it’s the last week before school starts,/ Harlem is opening its eyes to September.”
Monday’s Not Coming
Tiffany D. Jackson
HarperCollins/Tegen, June
$17.99 hardcover
Ages 13 and up
Announced first printing: 40,000
Why the buzz: “Monday’s Not Coming is the kind of novel where I am stopped in the hallway to dissect it after the story has left colleagues reeling. Tiffany writes an addictive and inventive read, distinct and complex characters, and a layered mystery that explores nuanced issues like gentrification and media bias against missing children of color. She keeps readers off-balance from start to finish—this is a master storyteller at her best.”
—Ben Rosenthal, senior editor, Tegen Books
Publicity & marketing plans: Author tour, with festival appearances; extensive galley outreach, including a White Box mailing and online galley giveaways; online advertising; extensive online promotion and social advertising campaign; extensive school and library promotion.
Opening: “This is the story of how my best friend disappeared.”
Furyborn, Book 1 in the Empirium Trilogy
Claire Legrand
Sourcebooks Fire, May
$18.99 hardcover
Ages 14–18
Announced first printing: 75,000
Why the buzz: “I’ve been a fan of Claire Legrand since her first book, The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls, published five years ago. When I got her YA fantasy, Furyborn, on submission, I wasn’t disappointed. Claire has created two fierce, flawed, complex, and compelling heroines. And her fantastic world-building is the perfect canvas to showcase them. It’s original and unputdownable, and I truly think it will capture the heart of anyone who reads it.”
—Annie Berger, editor, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky and Sourcebooks Fire
Publicity & marketing plans: Author tour, including festivals; advertising; prepub buzz campaign; cover reveal on Bustle; large ARC distribution; series website with exclusive content; major BookTuber and bookstagrammer promotions; book trailer.
Opening: “The queen stopped screaming just after midnight.”
Samira Ahmed
Soho Teen, Jan.
$18.99 hardcover
Ages 14 and up
Why the buzz: “I’m most excited for readers to meet Maya Aziz because of what she has in common with every teenager in real life: she doesn’t fit a single neat description. Maya’s authenticity derives from her humanity, her complexity, the nuance with which she is portrayed—and (not unimportantly) her adolescence. She is not wise beyond her years. Her response to the events and forces outside her control speak to her very real and fraught journey toward adulthood.”
—Daniel Ehrenhaft, editorial director, Soho Teen
Publicity & marketing plans: Author tour; Facebook and AdWords advertising.
Opening: “Destiny sucks. Sure, it can be all heart bursting and undeniable and Bollywood dance numbers and meet me at the Empire State Building.”
Queen of Air and Darkness
Cassandra Clare
McElderry, Dec.
$24.99 hardcover
Ages 14 and up
Announced first printing: Two million
Why the buzz: “Queen of Air and Darkness, the final book in the Dark Artifices trilogy, promises to be a roller-coaster ride of cataclysmic events and emotions. Julian is my favorite character—all of that pentup emotion and vulnerability in a kid who has had to raise a family all by himself! And Emma is the toughest badass of her generation. Couple that with the divisions threatening to tear the Shadowhunters apart and you have a novel almost too hot to handle!”
—Karen Wojtyla, v-p and editorial director, McElderry Books
Publicity & marketing plans: Author tour; book festival appearances; advertising; digital education and library promotions.
The Universe Is Expanding and So Am I
Carolyn Mackler
Bloomsbury, May
Ages 14 and up
Announced first printing: 65,000
Why the buzz: “In ways both brave and unflinching, Carolyn Mackler tackles some of the biggest issues facing us today: sexual assault, body image, changing relationships, divided loyalties, social media virtual wildfire, and having the courage to blaze your own path, even if it diverges from the one you took before.”
—Cindy Loh, v-p, publishing director, Bloomsbury Consumer Publishing
Publicity & marketing plans: Author tour; White Box mailing; advertising; major media outreach; a buzz-building social media campaign across all platforms throughout 2018.
Opening: “Froggy Welsh the Fourth is trying to get inside my jeans.”
