Best-Selling Debut Novels Are the Bald Eagles of the Book World – The New York Times
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Inside the Best-Seller List
RARE BIRDS Some people watch the stock market, the weather, the avian world or baseball stats. I keep a keen eye on best sellers. And here’s something I noticed in 2021: Of the 15 debut novels that landed on the hardcover fiction list, only five were by noncelebrity authors who had not been anointed by Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Jenna Bush or the Good Morning America Book Club. The titles that fit the bill are — drumroll, please — “We Are the Brennans,” by Tracey Lange (which spent one week on the list); “Falling,” by T. J. Newman (three weeks); “The Lost Apothecary,” by Sarah Penner (seven weeks); “Girl A,” by Abigail Dean (one week); and “The Prophets,” by Robert Jones Jr. (one week).
So how does a first-timer launch a novel to such heights? “I would say that the word-of-mouth support from independent booksellers, librarians and the Bookstagram community truly helped get ‘The Prophets’ into readers’ hands, heads and hearts,” Jones wrote in an email. “There’s only so much a writer can do, you know? We write as best we can, hoping the story inside us will resonate with the rest of the world.”
Jones credits “the best team beside me supporting the work,” including his literary agent, PJ Mark of Janklow & Nesbit, and the publicity, marketing, editorial and sales departments at G. P. Putnam’s Sons. Lange is similarly grateful for the crew that helped usher “We Are the Brennans” into the world. In an email, she wrote: “The team at Celadon worked hard to get the word out — as well as the advanced copies — which helped create a slow trickle of good reviews and media attention for the book. They also encouraged me to become active on social media, which has been a great experience. The reading and writing community on Instagram and Twitter is so enthusiastic. One of the highlights of this whole experience for me has been connecting with readers who related to the story in various ways.”
Both authors have wisdom to impart to the debut novelists of 2022. Lange advises staying busy with a new project; this helped keep her grounded as her book landed on shelves. Jones wrote: “It sounds simple, but be sure you know what your book is about — not just plotwise, but its larger themes and sociopolitical perspectives, how it fits into particular literary traditions and what impact you hope it has on readers and why. You should have a prepared elevator pitch; that will come in handy!”
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