Recently, there have been a spate of articles lamenting the state of publishing, and indeed we are in tough times. Money is tight all around, layoffs and reorganizations are happening, and book sales are definitely suffering. However, we think all the doom and gloom directed at debut fiction is overrated. Publishers still need to publish new voices, and eventually the industry will start to recover from this serious slump. Even now, books are selling- Michelle Brower recently sold a first novel called The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors by Michele Young-Stone to Shaye Areheart Books (an imprint of Random House). The Handbook was met with great enthusiasm and we received multiple offers with the editor at Shaye Areheart Books coming in with the winning preempt. It's a story that's so perfect for the times that it had to be published; it's quirky and heartwarming, and literary in a way that keeps you turning pages to get to the end. Now it has a home with a publisher known for high quality debut fiction, and we all believe it will really find its audience. The bar may be higher for first fiction right now, and you will have to convince a wary marketing/publicity team, but there are always opportunities out there for a good story to make it big.

Here's a link to an entry on Harper's Authonomy blog that discusses some general themes we'll be seeing as the recession continues.

Good food for thought.

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