At the publishing company where I work, we see a lot of book proposals -- everything from vegan cookbooks to World War II histories to oral biographies of rock bands. We also see a lot of proposals for memoirs. Some of them are by celebrities, and while they tend not...

Major market newspapers have been downsizing their book review sections for awhile now, so I don't think it came as a total shock to anyone when the Los Angeles Times announced last week that it's laying off two of its books editors and folding its stand-alone Sunday books section into...

I hear it pretty often these days: "Book tours don't sell books." To some extent, it's true. Sending an author from city to city to promote his or her book usually isn't profitable -- at least, not on the surface.

For most authors -- meaning the ones who aren't...

Quick, name you favorite book. Now, quick, name who published it.

Gotcha, didn't I?

As someone who has worked in book publishing for the past 13 years, I'm keenly aware of the different houses that exist in the United States and the kinds of book they produce. I can...

I have an embarrassing confession to make: I collect cat books. Not that series of "The Cat Who..." mysteries by Lilian Jackson Braun. Not even the Cleveland Amory ones. No, I collect little cat books. Wee little itty bitty tiny mouse-sized cat books. Miniature editions. Stocking stuffers. The...

Despite the fact I tend to vote the donkey ticket in elections, there's one area of my life where I lean distinctly independent: bookstores.

I'll admit there are things I like about the chains. In the Cambridgeside Galleria near where I work, there's a Borders where I can find a...

As a book publicist, part of my job is to keep an eye out for titles that are similar to ours -- not just because it's important to keep tabs on the competition but because "two books equals a trend." I can often get more ink -- and more air-time...

One of the books I'm publicizing got a bad review recently -- and by bad I mean horrific.

The book -- an anthology of essays on what music you'd want to have with you if you were stranded on a desert island -- is a solid collection. Really....

To BEA or not to BEA? For many authors, that is -- or perhaps should be -- the question.

Earlier this month, thousands of booksellers and publishing professionals gathered at the Javits Center in New York City for Book Expo America--our annual convention. I've lost count of how many of...

There's been a lot in the news lately about major-market newspapers that are downsizing, relocating, or completely doing away with their book review section. The Atlanta Journal Constitution dispensed with its book review editor position. The Chicago Tribune moved its Sunday books section to Saturday (which has a lower...