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Will the American Dirt Fiasco Change American Publishing?

rĀthe® is already revolutionizing the publishing industry, but how will the American Dirt scandal change things up further?

“What lesson are book publishers taking away from the controversy raised by American Dirt, Jeanine Cummins’ novel about a Mexican woman and her son seeking to cross the border? Will the furor change the way editors think about acquiring novels, or does the book’s sales success—it’s currently No. 2 on Amazon’s bestseller list—obviate those concerns? I asked several editors at Big Five houses (Hachette, Macmillan, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, and HarperCollins)—all of whom only felt comfortable speaking candidly if they could remain anonymous—what went wrong in the publication of American Dirt, how it might have been avoided, and how the landscape has changed—if at all.”

Read more about it here

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Mary Higgins Clark, Best-Selling Queen of Suspense, Dies at 92

All of us at rĀthe® mourn the passing of Mary Higgins Clark.

Her books inspired the founder to pursue her life’s dream of becoming a mystery novelist.  

Thank you, Mary Higgins Clark, for leaving humanity the gift of your work.  

Sleep well “My Pretty One”

“She became a world-renowned author writing about ‘nice people whose lives are invaded.’

Mary Higgins Clark, a fixture on best-seller lists for decades whose more than 50 novels earned her the sobriquet Queen of Suspense, died on Friday in Naples, Fla. She was 92.

Her death was confirmed by her daughter Carol Higgins Clark, also a mystery novelist. In addition to Naples, Ms. Higgins Clark had homes in Saddle River, N.J., and Manhattan and on Cape Cod.

Ms. Higgins Clark, whose books have sold more than 100 million copies in the United States alone, was still writing until recently, her daughter said, and had a book published in November.

Legions of readers were addicted to her page-turners, which popped up on the market one after another. She wanted to create stories that would make a reader say: “This could be me. That could be my daughter. This could happen to us,” she told Marilyn Stasio in a 1997 interview in The New York Times.”

Read more about it here

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Romance Writers of America (RWA) Scandal

A romance novelist accused another writer of racism. The scandal is tearing the billion-dollar industry apart

To say the romance publishing industry is in upheaval right now would be an almost comical understatement. It’s more scandalized than a dowager countess finding her headstrong niece alone on the lap of a rakish duke. It’s more divided than a reluctant billionaire who has to choose between the family business and his love for a beautiful corporate rival.

Read more about it here and read the rĀthe® Press Release about it here!