Many of us at some point have looked back on some of our early work and cringed (or simply uttered something along the lines of, “I’ve come a long way!”) Author of several novels including the starred-reviewed Tyler Johnson Was Here and critically acclaimed anthologies (Black Enough and Hungry Hearts), Jay Coles, explained why he thinks his first few books are bad. Instead of being authentic in … Read the rest
Interview With “Something to Say” Author Lisa Moore Ramée!
Voice is a common thread in So Booking Cool’s conversation with bestselling, critically acclaimed children’s book author, Lisa Moore Ramée. There’s the beloved ‘Shay’, Ramée’s debut protagonist from A Good Kind of Trouble (which has garnered renewed interest and now an Indie bestseller in paperback), whose voice has been praised and prompted whether it is important for Ramée to create resonant voices within her characters; there’s Ramée sharing the time … Read the rest
Book Report: RIP Publishing Legend Sonny Mehta, Kobe Bryant, Happy belated Langston Hughes; The “Diverse Editions” Backlash; Current reads & more!
We discuss some of the latest news in publishing including the late publishing legend Sonny Mehta (Knopf and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group); we also recognize Kobe Bryant and Langston Hughes; we discuss the backlash Barnes and Noble Fifth Avenue and Penguin Random House received for their Diverse Edition initiative; Jessica Simpson’s new, trending memoir; some of our current and anticipated reads, as well as other bookish tidbits. Check it out! … Read the rest
Interview With “Given” Author Nandi Taylor!
After enjoying abundant success online via Wattpad including over a million reads and being a two-time Watty award winner including the 2018 Worldbuilders award, Given by Nandi Taylor is now gearing up for international release under Wattpad Books on January 21, 2020. Taylor discussed why her story ascending into trade publication is meaningful to her. “Posting the book online was kind of my way to keep myself accountable and … Read the rest
Interview (Part 1) With “A Good Kind of Trouble” Author Lisa Moore Ramée!
While the novel A Good Kind of Trouble has pretty much been dubbed the junior high school version of The Hate U Give, also a Balzer + Bray title, it is a book that had been more than 20 years in the making. It is based on the author, Lisa Moore Ramée’s experiences in elementary and middle school as well as her daughter’s, who is now in college. … Read the rest
Interview With Alessandra Balzer, Co-Publisher of Balzer + Bray!
When Alessandra Balzer was fresh out of Colgate University, where she majored in French Literature and minored in English, she took her first job at HarperCollins as an editorial assistant. Years later she would become co-publisher of her own imprint at the same company. Balzer and Donna Bray, a fellow HarperCollins colleague, were both experienced and eager to become entrepreneurs. In 2008, they launched Balzer + Bray.
Dumplin’ by … Read the rest
“The Hate U Give” Author Angie Thomas Unveils “On the Come Up” Book Cover!
Angie Thomas, debut author of the bestselling young adult novel, The Hate U Give, is gearing up for her next release, On the Come Up. The hotly anticipated novel is about 16-year-old Bri, an aspiring rapper (it runs in her family, as her father was an underground rapper on the brink of major success until his death) whose passion for conquering the rap world intensifies once her … Read the rest