The phrase “Not all heroes wear capes,” coincides with the concept of the acclaimed Hero book series by award-winning author, educator, and sports journalist, Jerald LeVon Hoover.
“When people look at the books,” he tells SBC, “you’re not going to see one person with a cape on or a mask on or a uniform on—not unless it’s a basketball uniform. In other words, they’re going to be regular folk … Read the rest
A lifechanging moment for New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Sajidah “S. K.” Ali was when her middle school teacher told her she had a talent for writing. “I just remember a lot feeling like I wasn’t anything special or spectacular when I went out into the world,” she tells So Booking Cool. Although she grew up in a loving home (and one that encouraged her as a book … Read the rest
Emerging novelist, Daven McQueen’s The Summer of Juniper Jones (Wattpad Books, June 16, 2020) is about a pair of best friends who aim to fulfill their summer bucket list under difficult circumstances. When Ethan Harper, a mixed-race youth, visits his aunt and uncle in small-town Alabama, he is confronted with some of the harsh realities of being a black male. The historical coming-of-age novel has already been a hit … Read the rest
For some of us, books are more than words on a page; they do more than tell stories. When emerging author and entrepreneur, Crown Shepherd, aka Crown the Writer, found black authors, her writing soared. Her love for reading and writing, which had gone dormant for about ten years, was resurrected thanks to Octavia Butler and Jesmyn Ward, who is among the black authors of Shepherd’s book club … Read the rest
Last week, entertainment news buzzed with reports of actress and rapper Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians) starring in the film adaption of the fantasy novel, The Last Adventure of Constance Verity (Simon and Schuster). The man behind the trilogy, A. Lee Martinez, chatted with So Booking Cool on a Monday afternoon about the announcement. “A big part of this business is just waiting and seeing,” he … Read the rest
If you’ve ever taught a class, prepared a workshop or seminar, chances are you can relate to Nadia Kalman’s thoughts on curriculum. “A curriculum is only as good as the day that you present a lesson to a particular group of students,” the education consultant told So Booking Cool. “So, as a teacher, even if you are given a curriculum to execute, you have to modify it for … Read the rest
Daniel José Older penned his first novel in 2009,a manuscript that would be rejected forty times and eventually put on hold as he gained inspiration for creating other stories. This story is Shadowshaper, the YA bestselling series praised by New York Times (“magnificent”); Kirkus Reviews, “a must”; and Publishers Weekly, “exceptional.” And yes, there will be another installment of the thrilling sci-fi fantasy.
Of course So Booking … Read the rest
We had the pleasure of talking with Kendra Levin, the executive editor at Viking Children’s Books, an imprint of the Penguin Young Readers Group, about her multifaceted career and views on the industry. In addition to editing all ages in the children’s market, which means everything from picture books to young adult novels, Levin is also an author, teacher, and life coach to writers around the world. “Everybody has to … Read the rest
Tamar Rydzinski, Vice President, Director of Subsidiary Rights at the Laura Dail Literary Agency got bitten by the book industry bug while interning at an agency. At the time, she attended Yeshiva University, where she majored in Literature and minored in Business. Now with almost 12 years in her career (she previously worked at Greenburger Associates before joining Laura Dail in 2015) Rydzinski tells us how she’s seen the industry … Read the rest
This past Wednesday, the Assistant Editor in the Children’s and Young Adult Department at Publishers Weekly (PW) Matia Burnett, chatted with us about her career, including its successes and challenges. Burnett is a Columbia University alumni and former educator (she also worked at Columbia as a researcher) before working at PW, a Trade publication in print and web that is basically to book publishing what Vogue is to fashion.
When … Read the rest
