“Even more impressive than the shiver-factor is the way the author skillfully uses the compelling premise to present a strong, consistent message of not rejecting what you don’t understand.” (Booklist starred review)
“Oh has crafted a truly chilling middle grade horror novel that will grab readers’ imaginations.” (Publishers Weekly starred review)
Congrats to Theodora Goss on winning the Rhysling Award for her long poem “Rose Child” !!!
Find out more about all the winners Here.
Based on some of literature’s horror and science fiction classics, this “tour de force of reclaiming the narrative, executed with impressive wit and insight” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) debut is the story of a remarkable group of women who come together to solve the mystery of a series of gruesome murders—and the bigger mystery of their own origins.
Congrats to Emma Newman! Her novel AFTER ATLAS is nominated for the 2017 Arthur C. Clarke Award, the most prestigious science fiction award in Britain.
A Publishers Weekly Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Book of the Year
“Newman writes with exquisite precision of grief, divided loyalties, and the struggle for self-actualization in this noir-inflected standalone…Gripping and sorrowful.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A detective novel on acid…Newman’s psychological insight is astute.”—The Washington Post
Nisi Shawl’s EVERFAIR is nominated for SFWA’s 2016 Nebula for best novel.
“This highly original story blends steampunk and political intrigue in a compelling new view of a dark piece of human history.”
—Publishers Weekly Starred Review
Fran Wilde’s THE JEWEL AND HER LAPIDARY is nominated for SFWA’s 2016 Nebula for best novelette.
“Extraordinary world-building and cascading levels of intrigue make Wilde’s debut fantasy novel soar.”
— Publishers Weekly
Check out all the nominees here.
Pub Day! Today, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale is out in the world!
“Doreen’s story offers a heroine it’s easy to go nuts for.” — Kirkus Reviews
“New readers and fans of the “Squirrel Girl” graphic novels will not be disappointed with this fun and engaging middle grade title starring a strong, positive, and utterly likable heroine.”—Marissa Lieberman, School Library Journal
Pub day! The following books by Mur Lafferty, Heather Vogel Frederick, and Gill Lewis are now available wherever books are sold.
A big CongRATS to Kara LaReau for her 2017 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor THE INFAMOUS RATSOS! It was written by Kara LaReau, illustrated by Matt Myers, edited by Sarah Ketchersid, and published by Candlewick Press.
See the full list of 2017 ALA Children’s Award Winners here.
To celebrate her one year anniversary with Barry Goldblatt Literary, LLC, we asked agent Jennifer Udden some questions about her podcast, SHIPPING & HANDLING that she co-created with fellow agent Bridget Smith (of Dunham Literary).
What is the podcast about and where can people find it?
The podcast is basically just Bridget and I talking about what we love most – books! We discuss writing, fandom, the nitty-gritty of publishing, our favorite reads, and answer listener questions each episode. We also run a book club as separate episodes. It can be found in the iTunes podcast store and on Stitchr!
What made you want to start this particular podcast in the first place?
I wanted to get more of my voice as an agent out there, but didn’t have the time to devote to blogging consistently – little did I know that podcasting is almost as time consuming! But discussing books, writing, and publishing with someone else is much more fun than sitting and writing about it alone, so the podcast format appealed to me.
Are there any specific things you’ve learned about podcasting or the way you organize your podcast since you started Shipping & Handling?
There was about a year between having the idea for the podcast and posting our first episode. During that time, we were figuring out the details of our recording setup and also figuring out what the best structure for the podcast would be. Believe it or not, the first episode was over two hours long and we definitely drank at least a bottle of wine each, which didn’t make for very coherent listening. 🙂 Now we pick a topic every episode, either something going on in the publishing zeitgeist or something that we recently did, and talk about it for 30-45 minutes. After that we answer questions from listeners, and then we talk about what we’re currently reading. It’s great to have a structure and a format to follow because it lets us keep things on track and interesting, rather than just rambly!
What is it about a podcast as a form of communication that appeals to you as opposed to a blog or youtube channel?
It’s great to be able to talk through ideas with someone else. Even though Bridget and I have similar tastes as agents in some respects, we’re different enough that there is always a good discussion to be had. And even when we come from the same point of view, we each articulate things differently, which helps us both grow in our understanding. I wouldn’t do a youtube channel because I would worry about looking like a goblin on screen. In a podcast, no one knows I’m a goblin. 😉
What advice would you give to other agents or authors who want to either create a podcast or appear as a guest on a podcast?
Spend the money to get good microphones, and get someone who knows about audio recording to set up a template and settings for you. Knowing that we don’t have to worry about fixing the setup every time has made things immeasurably easier, even if there are little audio quibbles from time to time. I’m a firm believer in having strong audio quality; I think it makes for a larger listening audience. I would also recommend that if people are starting their own podcast that they work out a strong focus or structure before they start publishing it! In terms of appearing as a guest, have fun! It’s a pretty relaxed undertaking. 🙂
Any final words?
In our time publishing it we’ve seen the audience for our podcast grow, and we’re looking forward to growing even more in 2017! If anyone has any suggestions for topics, questions for us to answer, or comments, they can reach us at shippingandhandlingpodcast@gmail.com or on our website, where you can ask questions anonymously.
Congrats to Kate Milford for her NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER that is now a NATIONAL BOOK AWARD NOMINEE and EDGAR AWARDS WINNER!
