Welcome to the last Top Picks Thursday in August. This summer has been a hot one in the mid-Atlantic region, and we’re looking forward to some cooler fall temperatures.
Ed Nawotka invites all readers and writers to celebrate Independent Bookstore Day Saturday, August 29th. Even in the midst of the pandemic, new stores are opening, so Ed Nawotka and Claire Kirch take a look at new bookstores. (If you’re not ready to visit a store yet, support your favorite store with an online purchase.)
If you’re looking for reading suggestions, Jae-Yeon Yoo lists 10 books (fiction and nonfiction) about the importance of the post office, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia shares 9 Gothic books from the twentieth century.
Reading is a valuable pastime not just for those of us stuck at home: Jill Lawless tells us how sons use e-books to help their virus-stricken dad and other patients.
Porter Anderson reports that HarperCollins imprint Ecco and Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney have created a publishing diversity fellowship.
Many writers have pets. Anna Bruno asks: can dogs make us better writers?
For those who write children’s books, SCBWI’s Lee Wind announces that Tomie DePaola Masterclass is being released (free for SCBWI members).
CRAFT
Looking for writing tips? Stavros Halvatzis delves into how to improve your writing, Barbara Linn Probst recommends reading like a writer, writing like a reader, and Rachelle Gardner urges authors to write like it’s 2020.
In addition, David Farland advocates letting the words flow, and Jessica Strawser advises: ask better questions and get better answers to grow your craft and career.
John Peragine highlights the vital importance of your writing community, and Debbie Burke writes about Public Domain Day.
If you’re a beginning writer (or even if you’re not) and the idea of writing a novel is daunting, why not try a shorter prose form? Grant Faulkner gives us 13 ways of looking at flash fiction.
Many experienced writers, agents, and editors have stressed the importance of the novel’s beginning. Susan DeFreitas tells us what your first 50 pages reveals.
For those writing mystery or crime fiction, Garry Rogers educates us on how to speak cop — version 2.0.
Since setting is an integral story element, Tiffany Yates Martin looks into setting your stories amid a pandemic world.
Nathan Bransford advises be very careful with dreams and hallucinations in novels.
If you’re working on your characters, Terry Odell reminds us men are not women with chest hair, Emma Jane Unsworth delves into how to write a millennial character, Katharine Grubb lays out how to make your next villain a coward, and Nathan Bransford examines POV: omniscient vs. limited vs. head jumping.
Those wonderful characters have to talk, so Laura Drake concnetrates on dynamic dialogue, and James Scott Bell urges writers to have your characters say what you wish you’d said.
For those who have that first draft done, Cristina Delay goes into looking back at the first act., Rochelle Melander offers tools for revision., and Florence Osmund evaluates Marlowe, A.I. for novels: does it measure up to its namesakes?
If you’re doing further polishing, Zoe M. McCarthy gives us 4 reasons to ditch “there is” and the like in stories, and Robert Lee Brewer clarifies tell vs. tale vs. tail vs. telltale.
BUSINESS
Porter Anderson looks at the US publishing industry: NPD and StatShot reports show pandemic summer progress, and the PW Staff reports that print units post double-digit gains in mid-August.
Kate McKean wonders: in the digital era, when does a book go “out of print”?
However your book is published, marketing is important. Sandra Beckwith suggests promoting your book with a roundup article, Dave Chesson shares 5 fail-safe strategies for selling more books, Kimberley Grabas explains why every author needs a book sales funnel and how to get started today, and Katharine Grubb talks about how good marketing is like good parenting.
Bethanne Patrick reports that, with book tours scrapped, authors are finding new ways to connect with their readers, and Nate Hoffelder offers tips for authors doing online interviews and livestream events.
If you’re self-publishing, Casey Demchak reveals how to make “sales copy” sound like a conversation [while this focuses on nonfiction, fiction writers could use some of these ideas as well].
Do you have an author newsletter? The AskALLiTeam gives us the ultimate guide to mailing lists for authors part 1: mailing list strategy.
When you’re thinking about your target blog audience, Cristian Mihai says your ideal reader is lazy (and busy too). and reminds us what readers want to know: how does this relate to me?
PODCASTS
Nick Flynn talks to Brad Listi on Otherppl about the solitude of the writing process.
Roz Morris considers the question: should you let anyone read your book before you’re finished?
Joanna Penn presents how to write narrative non-fiction with Matt Hongoltz-Hetling.
Penny Sansevieri looks at what kind of Facebook account do you need — profile, page, or group?
History of Literature podcast analyzes what Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 offers readers today.
THE UNIQUE SHELF
Hephzibah Anderson talks about what is revealed by the early manuscripts of classic novels.
Alexandra Alter looks at how indigenous writers are changing sci-fi, horror, and fantasy, while Katy Waldman wonders: has self-awareness gone too far in literary fiction?
Colleen Abel reminisces about growing up with Ray Bradbury’s ghost in Waukegan, Illinois.
Michael Gorra considers William Faulkner’s pride and racial guilt commingled in the person of his great-grandfather.
Daniel Krieger remembers the world’s preeminent collector of dictionaries, Madeline Kripke.
That’s all for this week’s Top Picks Thursday. Check back next week — next month — for another lineup of writerly links.
The Author Chronicles 
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