PUBLISHERSWEEKLY.

COM

MOORE

PATTERSON

BLUME

DEMILLE

PICOULT AND VAN LEER,

TOGETHER AGAIN!

Y
L
I
A
D
W
SH@OBOOKCON
MAY 31, 2015

CANDANCE BUSHNELL

Meet the Authors

That Have BookCon Buzzing!
BOOTH 3119 SUNDAY, MAY 31

New York Times

Bestselling Author/
Illustrator

New York Times

Bestselling Author

#1 New York Times

Bestselling Author

12:0012:45 PM

1:302:30 PM

E. Lockhart

Tad Hills

11:30 AM12:30 PM

Debut Author

Lance Rubin

R. J. Palacio

1:302:30 PM

#1 New York Times

Bestselling Authors

Jodi Picoult
& Samantha
van Leer

#1 New York Times

Bestselling Author

James
Dashner

3:004:00 PM

2:303:30 PM

Exclusive Daily Giveaways*

10:0011:00 AM

FREE
TOTE BAG!*

This is
one big
fxckxng
book.

11:00 AM12:00 PM

You cant say

that in print.

12:001:00 PM

1:002:00 PM

A New Multi-Platform
6-Book Mega Series

randomhousekids

* While supplies last.

Exclusive
!
Sneak Peek

Enter the Never Girls

Best Friends Ambassador
Search to win a trip to
Disneyland!

2:003:00 PM

INTRODUCING

BE THE FIRST TO READ

THE LAST LINE.
Visit Booth 3119 to join & customize
your FREE Tote Bag!*
#FirstInLine
FirstInLineReaders

2015

Booth #3250

C O N T E N T S

Candance
Bushnell

4-7
08
10

Top News and Sights from

BookCons Opening Day

Candace Bushnell: Who Wants

Reality?

Hail, Hail, the Gangs All Here!

Whats Old is New Again
Peanuts Is Back and Better
than Eve

12
14
16
17
18
20
Jacqueline
Woodson

CONTRIBUTORS

Brain
Selznick

22
23
24
26
30

Mother/Daughter Team:
What If You Realize That
There Are Consequences to
Happily Ever After?
The Civil War Through a
Graphic Kaleidoscope
Khloe Kardashian:
Negotiating the Zigzags of Life
Meet the Love Birds
YA Authors: Were All
Hungry for Diversity

Visit booth #3250 for a Quirk

Books tote bag, author signings,
and other great giveaways*!

Julianne Moore and Brian

Selznick: Star Power in
Childrens Books
New Books from a New
Breed of Stars

Sunday, May 31

In Full Bloom: Judy Blume

Launches In the Unlikely Event

11:00 am

Mysteriously Wicked
and Tasty

Author signing: Sam

Maggs, author of
The Fangirls Guide
to the Galaxy

Goosebumps Goes
Hollywood: R.L. Stine on
the Big Screen

12:30-2:30 pm

Sweet as HONY
Lonely Planets Guide to
New York City

Production Managers Catherine Fick, Kady Francesconi

Publisher Joe Murray

Grab a sampler of Ransom Riggss

Library of Souls: The Third Novel of
Miss Peregrines Peculiar Children
(on sale: 9/22/15)

BOOKCON IS OWNED BY REED EXHIBITONS AND ANY OF ITS MARKS

USED HEREIN ARE USED UNDER LICENSE FROM REED EXHIBITIONS

*While supplies last

Editor Liz Hartman

Managing Editor Sonia Jaffe Robbins, Jonathan Segura
Art Director Show Daily@BookCon: Bobby B. Lawhorn, Jr.
Art Director Publishers Weekly, Clive Chiu
Staff Photographer Steve Kagan
Contributing Writers Josh Cohen, Timothy Clayton, Claire Kirch,

Beth Levine, Meg Parsont, Diane Patrick

quirkbooks.com

facebook.com/quirkbooks

twitter.com/quirkbooks

Huge lines formed

on the morning of
the first day of
BookCon, as
attendees waited
for the show floor
to open, and for
the Mindy Kaling
and B.J. Novak
event to kick
things off.

hen the doors to the BookCon exhibit floor

opened at 10 oclock Saturday morning,
people at the head of the line had been waiting since 3 a.m. Four friends from Long
Island captured the honor of being first in
line. We have been planning this since last
year, said one of the women who declined
to give her name and appeared to be in her 20s. We have Excel
spread sheets for what we want to see.
An early arrival to BookCon was a sound strategy as the line
to get in stretched from New Yorks Javits Center (located
around 34th St.) up past 40th St. Several people in the early
morning crowd who said they had been to the Javits for ComicCon New York said the line yesterday was longer than that for
ComicCon. Once 10 oclock, hit, however, the line began to
move relatively smoothly, especially compared to last years mad

dash that followed the opening of the doors.

One mom in attendance, who works for an airline, came all the
way from Oklahoma to bring her daughter to BookCon. Although
their flight wasnt expensive, their first two nights in a midtown
hotel were. Theyre now staying with friends in Long Island. The
daughter found out about the show through Booksplosion on
YouTube and although the daughters favorite author, Cassandra
Clare, will not be at this years BookCon the pair decided to come
anyway.
A couple on line said they flew in from Chicago, while another
group met up in Baltimore and took the 2 a.m. train to New
York, arriving just after 5:30. Bloggers Carolyn (geekgirlotp.
blogspot.com) and Jason (geekboyotb.blogspot.com) drove six
hours from New Hampshire, getting to the Javits at 4:45. They
had their schedules printed on the backs of their passes. Jason
planned to attend the sessions that Carolyn cant.

photo by stevekagan.com

BOOKCON
BLASTS
OFF !

continued on p. 6

W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M

M AY 3 1 , 2 0 1 5

BOOK
FESTIVALS
ON BOOK TV

SEE YOUR FAVORITE NONFICTION AUTHORS

AT BOOK EVENTS AROUND THE COUNTRY
THIS SUMMER:

THIS FALL:

Chicagos Printers
Row Lit Fest
June 6 7

National Book Festival

September 5

Harlem Book Fair

July 18

Texas Book Festival

October 1718
Miami Book Fair
International
November 20 22

For schedules of upcoming festival

coverage and archived video of past
festivals, visit booktv.org.

CREATED BY CABLE
booktv.org

MACMILLAN
& #bookbrag

TODAY @ STAGE 3139:

10 AM:

Swoon Reads Party*

Featuring Authors: Sandy Hall (A Little Something Different) & Temple West (Velvet)

11 AM:

Kids Hour: The Fun Book of

Scary Stuff (Ages 3-6)*
Featuring Authors: Emily Jenkins & Hyewon Yum

12 PM:

Criminal Element Presents:

Crime Time Quiz Show*

continued from p. 4

Coming from a spot closer to Javits, Najaya Royal, 18,

made the trip from Brooklyn with her mother. The two said
they plan to go with the flow in terms of who they will
hear and what booths they will visit.
Once readers reached the floor they headed to find their
favorite authors. Harlequin had two in-booth signings early
Saturdayfor Robyn Carr and Jennifer Armentroutand
at each the publisher quickly gave away 100 copies of signed
books. Crowds also quickly found the Simon & Schuster
booth where a huge line of middle school-aged girls snaked
through the adult side of the booth, waiting for Cassandra
Clare giveaways. The crowd impressed Wendy Sheanin,
v-p, director of marketing for adult publishing at S&S, who
said crowd control was much better this year compared to
2014. More importantly for Sheanin, though, was the
enthusiasm and size of the turnout. Its amazing to look
around and see wall-to-wall people here for books, she
observed. Jim Milliot with Judith Rosen and Rachel
Deahl

Featuring Authors: Maggie Barbieri (Lies That Bind), Jane K. Cleland (Blood Rubies),
& Julia Dahl (Invisible City)

1 PM:

Poster signing with

BRANDON STANTON, Booth 3056,

Humans of New York: Stories*

1 PM:

Editors Picks for Book Clubs*

Featuring Author: Lauren Francis-Sharma (Til the Well Runs Dry)

2 PM:

Graphic Novels: In the Studio*

Featuring Authors: Pnlope Bagieu (Exquisite Corpse), Jonathan Fetter-Vorm
(Battle Lines), & Ben Hatke (Little Robot)

Featuring Authors: Jamie Brickhouse (Dangerous When Wet), Adrian Tomine

(Killing and Dying), & Maria Venegas (Bulletproof Vest)

In Booth 3056: Fun giveaways! GIF Photobooth!

Book recommendations at the Ingenious Bar!
Bookstore by Greenlight Bookstore!
*Tickets required Tickets distributed from Booth #3056 starting at 10 AM each day.
While supplies last.
Galleys, books, or prizes available for select ticket holders.

Follow @bookbrag for surprise giveaways & special content

View our full schedule online at bookbrag.tumblr.com

read. brag. repeat. #bookbrag

@bookbrag

bookbrag.tumblr.com

W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M

/bookbrag

M AY 3 1 , 2 0 1 5

A large crowd
found its way to
the Simon &
Schuster booth,
lured in part by
Cassandra Clare
giveaways (top).
At the Penguin
Random House
booth, a fan
warmed up to a
likeness of George
R.R. Martin, author
of the A Song of
Ice and Fire
series.

photos by stevekagan.com

3 PM:

Author Panel:
Write What You Know*

OFFICE DUO KALING AND NOVAK

REUNITE TO OPEN BOOKCON

Visit Booth 2620

for Giveaways!*
*While supplies last

SUNDAY, MAY 31
PANELS
Introducing October the Octopus!
An Activity for Kids with Author
Matthew Van Fleet
(Panelist)
11:0011:45 a.m.
Downtown Stage

**BOOK SIGNING WITH MATTHEW VAN FLEET

12:301:30 p.m. AUTOGRAPHING TABLE 7

The Big Bad Theory

SCOTT WESTERFELD (Panelist)
3:304:30 p.m. | Room 1A06

photo by clare swanson

aturday morning saw former Office co-stars B.J. Novak

and Mindy Kaling reunite to kick off the second annual
BookCon in front of a packed and boisterous crowd.
The pair discussed Kalings second book, Why Not Me?
(Crown, Sept.), which follows her 2011 bestseller, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns).
Off-screen, the two actors are good friends, and Kaling
told the audience she felt lucky to spend time with Novak
at the event. I actually asked to hang out with you, and
you said you needed two microphones, and 2,200 people,
said Novak, also an author, of One More Thing: Stories and
Other Stories (Knopf), and the bestselling childrens title,
The Book With No Pictures (Dial/Penguin).
Kaling described her new book title as having dual
meaning, referring to both the current stage of her life,
where her friends are getting married and starting families,
and also fitting into a Hollywood standard where, as she
said, not many women look like her. In her first book,
Kaling said she felt that she was introducing herself to the
world, and wanted people to like [her]. Now, Kaling
said, I know people know me and like me. Im incredibly
honest and vulnerable in this book. Its a little scary, but I
think it makes the book funnier.
Speaking to the tone of the book, Novak complimented
Kaling, saying [It] feels like were just listening to a
friend, and we are. He then lauded her ability to be
slightly different, and see things slightly different, and not
just speak slightly louder.
During the Q&A session, one audience member asked
the question on the minds of fans and media alike: What
are some details of the book the Kaling and Novak are
writing together? Word broke last week that the friends
would be joining forces, for a rumored $7.5 million advance
from a Penguin Random House imprint, and on May 26,
Kaling took to Twitter to confirm that the book is happening, but that it wouldnt be a sexy tell-all about her relationship with Novak. Its very early in the creative process said Novak, adding that the book would not be out
for quite a while. Well go through many directions and
conversations on the way there. Kaling added, Its gonna
be awesome...[Its] super exciting. Clare Swanson

Simon & Schuster

Childrens at
BOOKCON 2015

**BOOK SIGNING WITH SCOTT WESTERFELD

2:003:00 p.m. AUTOGRAPHING TABLE 5

Candace Bushnell:
WHO WANTS
REALITY?
BY BETH LEVINE

hink Candace Bushnell, and you think of actress

Sarah Jessica Parker and her swirling pink tutu
dress getting splattered with mud by a passing bus.
Through Sex and the Citythe book and the HBO
television seriesBushnell brought up issues of
womens sexuality and, even more important, womens friendships in a way that hadnt been done
before. Who better to be part of a panel about telling womens
stories? Today, 11:30 a.m.12:20 p.m., in Room 1A23, Bushnell, whose latest novel is Killing Monica, will join writers Elin
Hilderbrand (The Rumor), Emily Holleman (Cleopatras
Shadow), and Lily Koppel (The Astronaut Wives Club), to discuss their motivations, writing habits, favorite writers and
books, publishing in the e-book era, and much more.
While Bushnell doesnt mind being pigeon-holed by her
Carrie Bradshaw fansI am definitely not complaining
she doesnt mind having a little fun skewering her public
persona. Killing Monica (she is also the author of Lipstick Jungle, Trading Up, and One Fifth Avenue) plays with the idea of a
renowned writer whose novels about Monica, a young woman
making her way in Manhattan, have spawned a series of blockbuster films. Hmmm, that sounds a little familiar...Killing
Monica is not a bitter diatribe about a trapped artist. I took
elements of my life as a jumping-off point, but the rest really
is an outrageous comic novel that satirizes fame and all that
stuff. Its got a lot of hijinks
and plot twists. Its really fun.
I took reality and revved it up
about 10 paces, she says gleefully. I like to not know how
its going to end when I am
writing. I like to be surprised.
As one of the characters says,
who wants reality? Reality is
free and depressing.
When Bushnell is deep into
writing, she lives in parallel
existences: reality and the
world that is unfolding in her
head in Technicolor. She says,
Its about creating a whole cast

W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M

M AY 3 1 , 2 0 1 5

of characters Ive never met, places Ive maybe only visited

once. Real life is just not important. I might use snippets from
it. If I do it right, it will feel real and believable to readers.
But its not real.
Asked how she feels about being held up as a trailblazer in
womens fiction, she pauses. I dont think that I am. However, I was one of the first to show publishers that women
writers will sell. When I was growing up, women who wrote
childrens books were asked to use only their initials because
supposedly boys wouldnt buy a book written by a woman. In
the 1970s, when I was first trying to get my stuff published,
I was told, no one is interested in a book about women in New
York City. I suppose in the sense of being determined to go
around all of these obstacles, I was a bit of a trailblazer. And
I am proud of that.

HAIL, HAIL,
THE GANGAS
ALL HERE!

Whats old is new againPeanuts

is back and better than ever

BY LIZ HARTMAN

ixty-five years ago, the first Peanuts comic strip,

created by Charles Schulz, was published. Fifty years
ago, A Charlie Brown Christmas Special aired on television for the first time, and year after year its the
top-rated Christmas special. This year, Snoopy,
Charlie Brown, and the rest of the Peanuts gang go
gangbusters with the November release of their first
major motion picture. This fall 20th Century Fox and Blue Sky
Studios will release the film featuring computer-generated
imageryanother first for
Charlie Brown and company.
The film will feature a rarely
seen character, Belle, Snoopys
sister, who appeared in only 17
of Schulzs comic strips.
Today, amid the many celebrities at BookCon, is the biggest star of all: Snoopy, who puts the pop in pop culture. Hell
be offering hugs and photo-ops at Table 4 in the autographing
area, 11 a.m.1 p.m. Forbes magazine rated Snoopy Americas
most beloved spokescharacter, and Peanuts boasts an
unheard-of 99% global awareness (that coveted Q score). So
step aside, Kardashians.
A big part of the world-wide awareness for Peanuts has been
the more than 30 million books sold all over the globe. But
this year, according to Craig Herman, executive director,

10

W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M

M AY 3 1 , 2 0 1 5

publishing, for Peanuts Worldwide Entertainment, is huge

for bringing Peanuts to the next generation. Helping to pass
the torch to new young readers is an extensive publishing
program with a wide range of books for the classroom, for the
coffee-table or for good old reading pleasure.
Taking the lead in the book effort is Simon Spotlight, which
will launch an extensive Peanuts publishing program this summer, including new editions of Peanuts classics and several
movie tie-in books, such as Its
the Great Pumpkin, Charlie
Brown; Go Fly a Kite, Charlie
Brown; Lose the Blanket, Linus!
and Youve Got Talent, Charlie
Brown. For the original generation of Peanuts fans, theres
a high-end coffee-table book,
The Art and Making of the Peanuts Movie, from Titan Books,
and in October Abrams Comics Art is releasing Only Whats
Necessary: Charles M. Schulz and the Art of Peanuts, by Chip Kidd,
with an introduction by the creator of Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney.
To ensure that young readers get connected to the Peanuts
gang on the page, the book world and Peanuts are partnering to
capitalize on Snoopys Q rating, anointing him the poster-dog
for reading. The worlds most famous beagle is the American
Library Associations official co-chair of Library Card Sign-up
Month this September. Charlie Brown will be front and center,

A PURE CELEBRATION
OF COMIC BOOKS

June 6 7, 2015
PIER 94 | NYC

too, when he is featured on the American Association of Publishers Get Caught Reading posters, which have featured
such historical figures as Abraham Lincoln, as well as celebrities and sports stars including John
Lithgow, Diane Sawyer, Queen Latifah, Keira Knightly, and Grant Hill
among others.
Herman says, The moment is
right to introduce a whole new generation of readers to Peanuts. With
the major marketing that is going
hand in hand with the movie release,
the beloved gang will be everywhere.
We have a golden opportunity to get
kids reading, and we are thrilled to
make it happen.

BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS

Powers

MING DOYLE
The Hellblazer

MAJORIE LIU
Astonishing X-Men

ALEX MALEEV
Daredevil

BUY TICKETS TODAY!

SPECIALEDITIONNYC.COM
@SpEditionNYC

Mother/Daughter
A
WHAT IF YOU REALIZE THAT THERE
ARE CONSEQUENCES TO HAPPILY EVER AFTER?
BY HILARY S. KAYLE

sk most mothers of teenage daughters if they

could imagine spending five days a week cooped
up in an office for eight hours a day working on
a project together for an entire summer, and the
answers you would get might not be printable.
Not so for bestselling author Jodi Picoult, who
began a writing adventure six years ago when her
daughter Samantha van Leer, 13 at the time, came up with an
idea for Between the Lines (2013), in which the characters have
their own lives separate from the fairy tale they are in and one
Jodi Picoult (left), and
Samantha van Leer

of them tries to escape the story with the help of a reader in

the real world who has a crush on him.
So the two worked together, side-by-side in Picoults attic
office. We would literally speak every word out loud. I might
say a sentence, and she would jump on it and piggyback and
say the next one. And then I might interrupt, and we kept
tossing the narrative back and forth while one of us would be
typing. I think she had no idea what she was getting into. And
she had a real day jobshe was a student, and we worked only
during the summers. The first summer we wrote Between the
Lines, the second summer we edited the book, and the third
summer we toured three continents for it.
Not a bad trajectory. It was a learning experience for both
of them to work together. Van Leer tells Show Daily @
BookCon, Id never really seen what my mom does for
work. All I knew was that she disappeared into her
office for eight hours a day. So it really gave me
insight into how hard she works as a writer and how
hard the process iseverything that goes beyond
writing the book that comes afterward, the touring, the editing. I definitely gained a whole new
respect for what she does as a profession.
Picoult, too, gained insight into her daughter.
I think what amazed me the mostshes very
smart and poised for her agebut she has unbelievable tenacity. There were days when we
were up there writing, it was the dead of
summer, it was a thousand degrees in
my office. Any 14-year-old kid

Team

would want to be outside and she

wasnt; she was inside and she was
committed.
They had such a great response
to Between the Lines and so many
readers wanted to know what happened next to the characters, they decided to write a sequel.
Picoult says, We figured there were a few things that could
be addressed. If we ended book one with fairy tales come true,
what happens in book two if you realize that there are consequences to happily ever after? Theres that sense that you
wrap everything up in a neat bow, and then when you look
closely, you see the edges are frayed.
For Off the Page, published earlier this month, van Leer, who
just completed her second year as a psychology major at Vassar,
notes their writing process changed. The second time around
I definitely had more confidence in my writing because I felt
like Ive done this before. Im officially a published author, so

I could have more of a say. My mom and I actually fought a lot

more, but in the end I think it made a better book, because
every word and sentence is argued and fought for and thought
about, which just made for an incredible product in the end.
And there is more good news for their creative efforts. Picoult
and van Leer, are working on a musical based on the book.
Under the auspices of Tony Awardwinning producer Daryl
Roth (August Osage County, among others), theyre hoping to
make it to Broadway. As the developing producers, Sammy
and I are creatively shepherding it to where it needs to be so we
are intimately involved. Its very much a collaborative process
and really exciting.
This is van Leers first experience at BookCon, and she is
thrilled to be here. Im excited to see how big this is, she
says, and if there are a lot of my fans here because I get to see
a lot of the moms and a couple of the teen fans on tour. But I
know theres a larger teen base thats usually in contact via
email or Twitter or Facebook, so it would be nice to see them
in person and get to meet them.
You can see them both today at a special YA panel, with
David Levithan for Another Day, Jennifer Niven for All the Bright
Places, Nicola Yoon for Everything, Everything, and E. Lockhart
for We Were Liars, 1 p.m.2 p.m., in Room 1A23. They will be
signing finished copies of Off the Page at the Random House
booth (3119) after the panel, 2:30 p.m.3:30 p.m.

BE A REBEL. READ A BOOK.

VISIT DK AT BOOTH #3119 FOR STAR WARS GIVEAWAYS
AND TO LEARN ABOUT THE COMPLETE SAGA.

Coming September 2015

Available for Pre-order

& TM 2015 LUCASFILM LTD.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the Brick and Knob configurations and the Minifigure are trademarks of the LEGO Group. 2015 The LEGO Group.
Produced by DK Publishing under license from the LEGO Group.

A WORLD OF IDEAS:
SEE ALL THERE IS TO KNOW

www.dk.com

THE CIVIL WAR

THROUGH A GRAPHIC
KALEIDOSCOPE

14

sing graphic books to teach, or to lure a more

visual reader to books, is nothing new, but Battle
Lines: A Graphic History of the Civil War, by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm and Ari Kelman, seems destined to resonate, not just for younger readers but
for the broad audiences that were attracted to Art
Spiegelmans graphic masterpieces Maus I and II

W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M

M AY 3 1 , 2 0 1 5

as well as Marjane Satrapis Persepolis series. In a prepublication

review, Publishers Weekly said, In 15 harrowing chapters [the
authors] graphic take on the Civil War brings home the shattering costs of Americas epochal conflict like almost no other
single-volume history.
Ari Kelman, who is the McCabe Greer Professor of the
Civil War Era at Penn State University, is also the author of

Pictured are two

examples of the
different perspectives
offered in Battle Lines.
(Opposite page)
Women who were
left behind while their
husband went to war
suffered hunger and
deprivation.
(Left ) A soldier,
after grueling days of
bloody fighting in the
wilderness, faces
hunger, exhaustion,
and resignation that
it wont get easier
until its over.
A River and Its City and A Misplaced Massacre, winner of
multiple awards including the Bancroft Prize. Kelman
wanted to write an introductory text accessible to those
delving into the history of the Civil War for the first
time, but couldnt make it work with a reasonable word
count. Then he connected with author and illustrator
Jonathan Fetter-Vorm, winner of the American Library
Associations Best Graphic Novel for Teens award in
2013 for Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic
Bomb, and the book was born.
Published earlier this month, the narrative vignettes
tell the story from a multitude of perspectives. FetterVorm credits Kelman, saying, Ari had a lot of cool
ideasit was his idea to show radically different points
of view. For Fetter-Vorm, the challenge was to represent trauma on the page
but to alleviate [the
shock of seeing] horrifying images. It was
equally important to
him to do justice to the
heroes and heroines of
the conflict, but to create
a remove to mitigate the
visceral trauma and devastation that the Civil War
wreaked on a nation divided.
Today, 23 p.m., Fetter-Vorm joins graphic novelists
Ben Hatke (Little Robot) and Penelope Bagieu (Exquisite
Corpse) for the panel, Graphic Novels: In the Studio,
moderated by Calista Brill, editor at First Second Books,
in Macmillans Meeting Room 3139. Liz Hartman

Booth #2651
www.horror.org

Author Appearances for

Sunday, May 31st:
10:00 am

Patrick Freivald
Blade Tide and Jade Sky

11:00 am

Ellen Datlow

The award-winning
anthologist!
12:00 pm

Steven Van Patten

Brookwaters Curse Trilogy

1:00 pm

Trevor Firetog

Back Roads

W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M

15

Khloe
Kardashian

NEGOTIATING THE
ZIGZAGS OF LIFE

BETH LEVINE

ardashian will be signing bookplates for fans today,

11 a.m.noon, at the Regan Arts booth (2644), as
well as being available for a photo-op with fans.
Whats a pop culture event without a Kardashian thrown into the mix? Not only will she
be signing bookplates, but the crew from her
familys era-defining reality TV show, Keeping Up
with the Kardashians, will be there to record the event. The
title of the bookout in Novemberwill also be announced
at that time. Kardashians previous book, coauthored with her
sisters Kim and Kourtney, Kardashian Konfidential, was a New
York Times bestseller. Kardashian, along with her sisters, owns
several successful businesses. She took a few minutes to speak
with Show Daily @ BookCon.

Its about finding and building strength and resilience in all

aspects of your life. I found a new kind of strength alone on a
treadmill. As I started to build my physical strength, I also
started to build my mental, emotional, and spiritual strength.
I believe that no matter what your challenge or obstacle might
bewhether its losing weight, a serious health crisis, the loss
of a loved one, or simply a broken heartthe journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. I dont believe its one size fits
all nor do I believe that my plan is the only plan, but with
strength of heart, mind, body, and soul, all things are possible.

The Keeping Up with the Kardashians reality crew

will be there at your signing. Do you ever get tired of
having them around or does it seem normal now?

What inspired you to write the book?

I love the crew. They are extended family members. I have also
learned how to enjoy being alone. I enjoy the commotion, but
I also cherish my moments of solitude.

I wanted to share what Ive learned, and I also thought readers

would be entertained by some of the funny things Ive done
to work on myself. And believe me, I am full of imperfections,
and there were many zigzags on the road. My journey is by no
means a straight line.

Whats it like having so much of your life and your

familys life documentedthe bad and the good and
the deeply private?

What do you hope readers will take away from this?

I hope first and foremost that readers enjoy the book and are
entertained. I hope they are inspired to build their own form
of personal strength, which I know will improve their bodies,
their minds, their spirit, and their lives. One baby step at a
time! That is my philosophy. Small changes and small steps
lead to big changes and a new you.

16

mike rosenthal

What is the new book about?

W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M

M AY 3 1 , 2 0 1 5

There are times when living under a microscope can be challenging, but the upside is immense. I have met thousands of
inspiring and amazing people along the way, and the connection
I feel with people is a great joy in my life. I also think showing
people that no matter what fame, beauty, wealth, or privilege
anyone might seem to have, the real privilege in life is having
a close, loving family. No matter what, I value the love and bond
we have above all. Thats what really matters in the end.

ere at the Javits, love and romance are in the airand

at the Penguin Truck, which is parked outside the
show floor and will be staffed today, 10 a.m.12 p.m.,
by purveyors of passion on the page. Authors Marie
Force, Jill Shalvis, Lauren Willig, and Emily Liebert
will be on hand to chat with readers and offer book recommendations. Marie Force is the author of the New York Times bestselling Green Mountain contemporary romance series. Her most
recent release is And I Love Her. The newest title in Shalviss New
York Times bestselling Animal Magnetism contemporary
romance series is Still the One. Willig writes historical romance
and is the author of the Pink Carnation series, which concludes

with the release of The Lure of the Moonflower in August. Rounding out the foursome is Liebert, who is the author of the novels
You Knew Me When and When We Fall.
The truck will be chock full of books by these authors, but
it will also be stocked with a variety of fiction and nonfiction
titles from various divisions of the Penguin Group. Books at
the truck are for sale, theyre not giveaways. The four love
birds will be happy to personalize and sign any of their titles
purchased from the truck.
Liz Hartman

marie force: pamela sardinha; lauren willig: sigrid estrata; emily liebert: dreamscape studio photography, llc.

Meet the
Love Birds
H

Marty Umans

Libby Bray

Jake Hamilton

Meg Medina

David Levithan

YA AUTHORS:
A

WERE ALL HUNGRY FOR DIVERSITY

BY CLAIRE KIRCH

s anyone knows whos read anything by the five

authors on todays diversity panel, none has ever
shied away from controversy, even when it comes
to bringing up reasons for not just one but two
panels addressing diversity at this years BookCon.
The first, held yesterday, featured science fiction/
fantasy authors. Todays panel, We Need Diverse
Books Presents Luminaries of Childrens Literature, in Room
1A10, 11:15 a.m., features authors of both childrens and young
adult books and is moderated by author I.W. Gregorio.
We cant just have this big fight last year, and then not follow up, declares Jacqueline Woodson, referring to the widespread outrage last spring over BookCon 2014s initial monochromatic author lineup that resulted in the We Need Diverse
Books movement exploding on social media before taking on
the real world. Woodson, who received the 2014 National Book
Award in the young peoples category for her memoir, Brown
Girl Dreaming, compares the calls for more diversity in the book

18

W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M

M AY 3 1 , 2 0 1 5

world to the 1960s civil rights movement. As my editor would

say, Its a great beginning, she says, noting that the call for
diversity includes more than simply race, other identities as
well. People are hungry to be part of the conversation, Woodson says. Our work isnt done until we all feel a part of it.
Libba Bray (The Diviners) wholeheartedly agrees with
Woodson that diversity isnt just about skin color. My father
was gay. And he was a minister. And I grew up in North Texas
in the 70s and early 80s, she says. I was in the closet, too,
to protect my father. Having a secret identity like that shaped
a lot of who I am. Being unable to confide in anybody about
her fathers sexual preference, she recalls, made her hunger
for books or movies that spoke to my experience. She admits
to watching the television sitcom Soap, which ran from 1977
to 1981, primarily because of the gay character played by Billy
Crystal. Although the show perpetuated gay stereotypes, Bray
says, it was still something I could look at, and identify
withtheres someone like my dad. The issue of sexual iden-

Vania Stoyanova

Jacqueline Woodson

Will Austin

tity is such a touchstone for me.

David Levithan, an editor at Scholastic, as well as the author
of half a dozen novels featuring gay male characters, confesses
that he can see both sides of the issue when people castigate
the publishing industry for not being more diverse. As both
a writer and a publisher, he says he loves the spirit behind
the push for more multicultural books, especially
in childrens publishing. People dont go into
childrens books for the money or for the fame,
he notes. They go into it for the genuine desire
to make the world a better place; diversity and
equality of opportunity are an essential part of
that. But sometimes, Levithan adds, its not
enough to have the better angels on your side.
Sherman
Sometimes the better angels need a little more
Alexie
organization, a tune to play with their trumpets.
Sometimes, it just takes a kick in societys
collective butt, says Meg Medina, best-known for her novel
Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass. When I go into schools,
she says, everybody is in those seats. We need to hear the stories
of everybody, and give to children literature thats representative of whos sitting in classrooms. After all, she points out,
during the 20142015 school year, the majority of students in
U.S. public schools were, for the first time, not white. Teachers

and librarians must be informed about, and provide students

with access to, award-winning books that speak to all experiences, she says.
Not only is the U.S. becoming browner and browner,
points out multiple award-winning author Sherman Alexie,
who writes for both adults and young adults, but this generation of teenagers is less narcissistic than previous
ones with whom hes interacted since his 1993
debut release for young adult readers, The Lone
Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven
Heaven. Its not just
the brown kids, he says, who have a natural
hunger for books that reflect their own realities:
these kids, unlike any other generation, want to
read outside their experiences, they want to read
other peoples stories.
Outside forces are changing publishing; now
its up to publishers to change it from the inside,
he insists. Somethings wrong when television is
more diverse than publishing. Alexie doesnt let
readers and book buyers off the hook while he and his fellow
panelists make the white liberals [in the publishing industry]
feel bad about themselves, he says. Its up to us to go to the
bookstores and buy shitloads of [multicultural] books. If you
cant afford to do that, go to your library and demand that they
stock them.

MEET
LOWELL H. PRESS,
author of the enthralling
middle grade fantasy
THE KINGDOM OF
THE SUN AND MOON

SIGNING IN BOOTH #3046 (IBPA)

SUNDAY, MAY 31, 1:00 - 1:30 P.M.
First-time author Press creates a
complex and absorbing world of mouse
kingdoms set against the grounds of
Viennas Schnbrunn Palace . . . (and)
keeps the story scampering along with
humor and persistent threats in the
form of owls, cats, and rival rodents.
Publishers Weekly

Winner of the 2015 Benjamin

Franklin Award for Teen Fiction
and for Young Reader Fiction

ISBN 978-0-9905130-0-1
Distributed through Ingram and Partners West

TheKingdomOfTheSunAndMoon.com

W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M

19

Julianne Moore a

FROM SCREEN-TO-PAGE
AND PAGE-TO-SCREEN:
STAR POWER IN
CHILDRENS BOOKS

BY HILARY S. KAYLE

NOTEWORTHY

ctress Julianne Moore and award-winning

writer and illustrator Brian Selznick have
more in common than writing books for
children: they are friends, and through
their art, have had the chance to experience each others worlds.
For Brian, life as a bestselling author
and Caldecott medalist was upturned when his yetto-be published novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret
started making the rounds on the West Coast several
years ago. He tells Show Daily @ BookCon, I first
became aware of Hugos sudden arrival in Hollywood
through emails I began to get from different people
who had advanced readers copies of the book, which
were making their way around the offices of producers
and directors. Then he heard from Grey Rembert, who
worked in the movie business and had a very personal
connection to the book. Selznick explains, She told me
that she wanted to bring my book to Martin Scorsese.
Then she said, And if Scorsese cant do it, we can bring
it to Steven Spielberg, and I just thought to myself,
This is someone whos telling me that Steven Spielberg
is the second name on the list. It seemed very insane.
Of course, director Martin Scorsese signed on to do
the movie, and Selznick became immersed in a different
environment. Its a very insular process while Im creating a story, he says. Its mostly me and Tracy [Tracy

20

Julianne Moore won both an Oscar

and a Golden Globe award for Best
Performance for an Actress for her
role in Still Alice. She also won a Golden
Globe and an Emmy award for her role
in the 2012 television movie Game
Change, as well as several other awards.
Change

W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M

M AY 3 1 , 2 0 1 5

nd Brian Selznick:

brain bowen smith

Jamey Mazzie

They will be together today, 2:30

p.m.3:30 p.m., for the panel,
Crafting Illustrated Stories for
Kids: Julianne Moore in Conversation with Brian Selznick in Room
1A10. (Selznick will also be doing
an autographing, 45 p.m., for
which tickets are required). Part of
the conversation will be a discussion
about their newest books. Moore is
doing a new Step Into Reading series
for early readers, with two June
2015 offerings: Freckleface Strawberry: Backpacks! and Freckleface
Strawberry: Lunch, or Whats That?
Selznicks upcoming book is The
Marvels (Sept.), which magically
weaves together two different stories; an illustrated, five-generation
journey starting in 1766 and a prose
story beginning in 1990.
Both are excited about appearing
with each other. Selznick tells Show Daily @
BookCon, I always love to talk with people about
their process and because Julianne does two
seemingly different thingsbeing an actress as
well as a writerI want to know where those
two art forms overlap. How does her acting and
the way she thinks about creating a role overlap
with the stories that she writes, and how does she
think about her characters that shes creating
from scratch?
Moore gets in the last word: Brian is utterly delightful and
way more entertaining then I have ever been on stage. He has
lots to say and so much enthusiasm for books and art and narrative. Hes very impressive, erudite, and fun, so Im sure well
have a great time, mostly due to his efforts, Im sure. Im
going to really rely on Brian to be the entertaining one.

Hugo, the movie adaptation directed

by Martin Scorsese of Brian Selznicks
book, won five Oscars, and a Golden
Globe for Best Director. The Invention
of Hugo Cabret also won the 2008
Caldecott Medal for most distinguished
American picture book for children.

W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M

NOTEWORTHY

Mack, his editor at Scholastic

Press] and my husband and a couple of friends who Im bouncing
ideas off of and reading some sections to during the most intense
process, so its a very small group
of people who are making this
happen. Then he entered Scorseses movie world. The scale of it
was so different and so overwhelming. There were several
thousand people around the
world who were employed on the
creation of this movie. I felt that
I was inadvertently responsible
for so many people making a living for a couple of years, which
was great. But were all doing
the same thing, which is trying
to tell a good story as clearly as
possible.
For Julianne Moore, long
used to the collaborative process of stage
and film, writing was also a completely
different experience. She tells Show Daily,
I love being on a set, meeting with lots of
different people, having different kinds of
experts around. And when you write a
book its just you sitting there.
Moore started writing her popular
Freckleface Strawberry series with
Bloomsbury 10 years ago when her then
seven-year-old son was unhappy with how his adult
teeth looked when they came in. I was reminded
about how self-conscious kids feels, she says, how we
all feel as were growing up. There are all those things
that feel like theyre going to be such big problems
that end up not being problems when you get older
because you have other things to worry about. I wrote
the first story in my Filofax when I was on a plane to
London and was alone for the first time in a long
time, because I usually have my kids with me.
She and Selznick connected in 2012 when she was the artistic ambassador for Save the Children and asked him, along
with other childrens book authors and illustrators, to design
a limited edition valentine to be used for fund-raising purposes. The two have been friends ever since.

21

New Books from a New Breed of Stars

an a YouTube star also become a star author? And

why would that person want to write a book, anyway? Todays Vlogger to Author panel examines these questions with four YouTube stars
Connor Franta, Shane Dawson, Joey Graceffa, and
Justine Ezarik (aka ijustine)who have recently
published books, and are looking to bring their
YouTube subscribers, more than 20 million

While writing a book is very different from

recording a video, panelist and popular
YouTuber Connor Franta tells Show Daily @
BookCon that he enjoyed the depth and
time necessary for a book. I really wanted
to dig deeper than that five minutes a week
in a YouTube video, he says. I wanted to
go into that other 9 to 10,000 minutes I dont
talk about. I wanted to tell my story from
beginning to end, in greater detail, and
share some little advice tidbits along the
way. Franta, 22, has also enjoyed the
reflection inherent in writing a book. Its
been truly a pleasure to analyze everything
in greater detail... and [to] be able to talk
about people who have influenced me and
how Ive shaped the person I am today. A
New York Times bestseller, Connors
memoir, A Work in Progress, details his
rise from a small Midwestern town to
YouTube stardom, and all of the wisdom
hes picked up along the way. If youd like
a pic with Franta, visit Table 7 in the
autographing area, 34:30. p.m.

Last but not least is iJustine, 31, another

vlogger who is also a technology expert.
About her book, I, Justine: An Analog
Memoir, out in June, Ezarik notes,
Getting to express myself and my
thoughts in a completely different way has
been my favorite part of writing the book.
She has also embraced a more serious
side through her book: The I, Justine
title is a play on Justinethe girl behind
the online personality iJustine. She will
also be available for photos, 34:30 p.m.,
in the autographing area at Table 9. The
panel kicks off at 11 a.m. in the Special
Events Hall.

22

W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M

M AY 3 1 , 2 0 1 5

combined, to the page.

While many publishers are looking online for the next
big thing, Simon & Schuster has created a whole new
imprint, Keywords Press, that focuses exclusively on books
from Internet sensations. The new press represents a mashup
of new and old media, and an acknowledgment that YouTube and other online stars carry the same cachet as celebrities from the stage, screen, and television.
Also appearing on the panel is Joey
Graceffa, 23, a fast-growing YouTube
personality and a popular brand
ambassador. He describes his book, In
Real Life, out this month, as a confessional, uplifting memoir. About page
versus screen, he says, Its definitely a
very different medium to create content
for, but the same old Joey still shines
through. Everyone just gets a more
in-depth look. Graceffa reveals that he
found the book writing process to be very
therapeutic: There were so many
wounds I never let heal. I kept so much of
my past buried and ignored. Writing this
book helped me heal those wounds and
come out stronger. Fans can have their
pictures taken with Graceffa, 12:30 p.m.,
at Table 1 in the autographing area.

Shane Dawson, dubbed YouTubes

comic for the under-30 set by the New
York Times, is equally as enthusiastic
about the many facets of writing. I loved
the idea of putting all my creative energy
into the book and being able to actually
hold it in my hands, he says. Theres
nothing better than that. Dawsons debut
book, I Hate Myselfie, also a New York
Times bestseller, is a collection of 18
personal essays chronicling his journey.
The book has allowed Dawson, 26, to
show a different side of himself to fans. I
chose to write essays about more serious
topics that I dont often touch upon in my
YouTube videos, like death, astral
projection, and addiction, he says.
Theres a photo op with Dawson at Table
3 in the autographing area, 12:30 p.m.
Timothy Clayton


Elena Seibert

INJudyFULL
BLOOM
Blume launches
In the Unlikely Event

ts been more than 15 years since Judy Blumes last novel

for adults, Summer Sisters, was published, in 1998, so the
publication of her new adult novel is a very big deal, what
publishers like to call a rare publishing event. That
event happens on June 2 with the release of In the Unlikely
Event. But today, BookCon attendees have a chance to
meet Judy Blume and get their hands on her new book
two days before that official date. At 2:30 Blume will be
interviewed by fellow bestselling author Jennifer Weiner,
whose new book, Who Do You Love, will come out in late sum-

mer. The panel, Judy Blume in Conversation with Jennifer

Weiner, takes place in the Special Events Hall. From 3:305
p.m., Blume will be signing books at Table 5 in the autographing area.
In the Unlikely Event was an unlikely event itself. According
to a feature in the May 24th New York Times Magazine by
Susan Dominus, Blume had no intention of writing another
adult novel. But in 2009, in Key West, where she lives, Blume
attended a lecture by Rachel Kushner, who talked about her
book, Telex from Cuba. Blume told Dominus that was when
what became In the Unlikely Event swooped down on her. Her
new book is set in the 1950s in Blumes hometown of Elizabeth, N.J. In the span of two months beginning in December
1951, when Blume was 14, three planes crashed in Elizabeth,
killing a total of 116 people. The memory of the horrific
crashes remained dormant until Kushners talk unleashed this
story of how three generations of families, friends, and strangers were profoundly affected by unexpected events.
Blume is best known for her ground-breaking books for
girls and teens, among them Are You There, God? Its Me, Margaret. Some of the 28 books shes written, including Forever
and Deenie, have over the years been banned from schools and
libraries. That might explain why Blume is a passionate champion of intellectual freedom, working with the National
Coalition Against Censorship. In 2004, Blume was awarded
the National Book Foundations Medal for Distinguished
Contribution to American Letters.
Liz Hartman

W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M

23

Harlem
Its a mind ****. You go to audition after audition, and
there are 1,000 more nos than yeses. And you try to
find that one little thing that you can change that will
make all the difference. Maybe if I lose five more
pounds. Or Maybe if I had gone to that school. Or
Maybe if I had worked on the lines for 30 more minutes. And its hard to step back and realize that its not
even personal. It wasnt about your talent. Its not that
youre bad or youre good. Most likely, the casting
director already had a person in their head they were
looking forand you werent it. Or even worse, the
role had already been filled, and they were just holding
auditions to follow protocol. Even when you get chosen for a role, success is so fickle and fleeting. A gig
today doesnt mean a gig tomorrow. Unless youre
Brad Pitt or Will Smith, and you can make your own
demands, youre always going to be waiting for the
approval of someone else. In order to stay sane, youve
got to find other things or people in your life that bring
you value. You cant just be that weird actor person.

Sweet as HONY

BY DIANE PATRICK
n just five short years, the followers of Brandon Stantons
agrees. I think that people are
Humans of New York Facebook page and blog have drawn to the stories. You think,
grown to 12 million. What keeps them coming back is
Oh mythat could be me! Or
the stories shared by the people in Stantons photos. In you see a photo that inspires you
October, St. Martins Press will publish Humans of New so much that you think about
York: Stories, a follow-up to the first book, Humans of New ita lot. If Im ever feeling terYork, which was a smashing success, topping bestseller
rible about my own life, I think of
lists everywhere.
these pictures. He has a way of bringing people outside of
The books editor, Michael Flamini, executive editor at St.
themselves and showing what a community we all are.
Martins Press, says, The first book was all
about the photos; it was an incredible photoMidtown
graphic record. The next book, Stories, is differWhat was the
ent in that it reflects where HONY is today
happiest moment
it really goes in-depth into the stories of these
of your life?
peoples lives. Its all about the stories.
I dont think I
Stanton suspects that the wide appeal of the
have one yet, but
stories is the combination of intimacy and anoits probably
nymity, paired with a very raw, very genuine,
coming up and its
very honest disclosure about the lives of the
going to be a
people he photographs. In a city like New York,
surprise.
we have very little time. Also, on social media,
we tend to project a very manicured, egotistical
image of ourselves. HONY tends to show people in an honest and vulnerable light.
Flaminia HONY follower since before
St. Martins acquired Stanton as an author

24

W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M

M AY 3 1 , 2 0 1 5

Your gateway
to the world
of books

1.

Get the Digital

FREE TRIAL

Publishers Weekly magazine delivers bestsellers lists, articles

on all aspects of the book business and 100+ book reviews
every week.

PublishersWeekly.com/FREETRIAL

2.

Get the App

Experience the enhanced digital version of Publishers Weekly

magazine on your tablet or smartphone.

App.PublishersWeekly.com

3.

Get the Newsletters

FREE

Up-to-the-minute coverage on everything books,

delivered straight to your inbox.

Newsletters.PublishersWeekly.com
PublishersWeekly.com

#PWCONNECT

Lonely Planets

GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY

taying in town after the show? Lonely Planets got

your free time covered. From strolling wild urban
greenways to sipping sangria on a riverside dock,
theres a world of great attractions within easy reach
of the Javits Center. For more itinerary ideas, check
out Lonely Planets new Make My Day: New York
City guidebook and app.

A WEST SIDE WILDERNESS

Take a memorable stroll along the High Line, a former elevated railway turned green space, perched over the streets of
western Chelsea. You can stroll, sit, and picnic 30 feet above
the city, enjoying stunning vistas of the Hudson River, public
art installations, wide lounge chairs for soaking
up some sun, and willowy stretches of nativeinspired landscaping. (There are various access
points between 30th Street and 14th Street near
10th Avenue, www.thehighline.org.)

BAREFOOT IN THE PARK

European coffee kiosks, alfresco chess games, and
lolling on the grass (while engaging in the discreet art of people watching): this is what skyscraper-hemmed Bryant Park is all about. Nestled
behind the show-stopping New York Public
Library building, its a whimsical spot for a little time-out
from the Midtown madness. (42nd Street between Fifth and
Sixth Avenues, www.bryantpark.org
A TASTE OF THE FAR EAST
For kimchi and karaoke, its hard to beat Koreatown, aka Little
Korea. Mainly concentrated on 32nd Street, with some spillover
into surrounding streets both south and north of this strip, its
a Seoul-ful jumble of Korean-owned restaurants, shops, salons,
and spas. Authentic BBQ is available around the clock at many
of the all-night spots on 32nd Street. For succulent dishes with
stellar views, book a table at Gaonnuri, on the 39th floor of a
Koreatown skyscraper. (1250 Broadway between 31st & 32nd
Streets, 212-971-9045, www.gaonnurinyc.com)
KNOCKOUT DRINKS
Although the rough and tumble of Times Square is a distant
memory, you can still find a few drinking dens that evoke the

26

W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M

M AY 3 1 , 2 0 1 5

bygone days of the neighborhoods colorful past. Jimmys

Corner is a welcoming dive bar off Times Square owned by an
old boxing trainer, as if you wouldnt guess by all the framed
photos of boxing greats (and lesser known fighters, too). (140
W. 44th St., between Sixth and Seventh Avenues)

NOMADIC DINING
Sharing the same name as the celebrated hotel it inhabits,
NoMad has sealed its rep as one of Manhattans culinary highlights. Carved up into a series of distinctly different spaces
including a see-and-be-seen Atrium, the stately old-world
Parlour, and snacks-only Librarythe restaurant is the hipper, (slightly) more relaxed sibling of Michelin-starred
Eleven Madison Park. The menus are eclectic,
Eurocentric, and, true to chef Daniel Humms
reputation, just a little playful. (1170 Broadway
at 28th Street, 347-472-5660, www.thenomadhotel.com)
DOCKSIDE VIEWS
Salvaged from the bottom of the sea (or at least the
Chesapeake Bay), the Lightship Frying Pan and the
two-tiered dockside bar where its parked are fine
go-to spots for a sundowner. On warm days, the
rustic open-air space brings in the crowds, who
come to laze on deck chairs, eat burgers off the sizzling grill,
drink ice-cold beers, and admire the fine views across the Hudson to, uh, New Jersey. (Pier 66 at West 26th Street, 212-9896363, www.fryingpan.com)
PORTAL TO ANOTHER WORLD
One of the most immersive theater experiences ever conceived,
Sleep No More is a loosely based retelling of Macbeth set inside
a series of Chelsea warehouses that have been redesigned to
look like an abandoned hotel. Its a choose-your-own-adventure kind of experience, with audience members free to wander the elaborate rooms (ballroom, graveyard, taxidermy shop,
lunatic asylum) and interact with the actors, who perform a
variety of scenes that border on the bizarre and the risqu.
(McKittrick Hotel, 530 W. 27th St., between 10th and 11th
Avenues, 866-811-4111, www.sleepnomorenyc.com)
Compiled by Regis St. Louis, coauthor of Make My Day. 

Taps the experience, integrity and authority

of Publishers Weekly to help indie authors
achieve their publishing goals.

Get one.

Professional tips, insights and strategies for creating and

marketing your book G
Connect and share with other indie authors
A free and easy way to submit self-published books for review
in Publishers Weekly

Support for

Support
for
INDIE
AUTHORS
from Publishers
Weekly
INDIE
AUTHORS
from Publishers Weekly

booklife.com

PUT EM UP!
Powerhouse
Mystery Writers
Reveal Secrets
on the
Pencil Panel
ont tell anyone, confides bestselling author Brad
Meltzer about todays panel Inside the Mystery
Writers Studio (Room 1A23, 2:303:30 p.m.),
in which he is participating with fellow superstars
James Patterson and Nelson DeMille. But I will
be arm-wrestling Patterson, who I plan to beat,
and then have to take on DeMille. So get ready.
Refereeing the book brawl will be fellow novelist Michael
Koryta who hopes to give fans the chance to learn something
new that they cant find on the Internet. Heres a preview of
a few secrets that will be revealed.
A little known fact about Koryta is that his settings choose
him, not the other way around. He recalls one example when
he was backpacking with friends in Montana and Wyoming:
We were at the top of this incredible vista in the Beartooth
Mountains. It was just at that moment that I realized how
alone we were and how desolate the area washow beautiful
it was, too. I remember very distinctly thinking, I could put
some characters in a lot of trouble up here, and that started
the wheels turning. Three years later I had a book out of it,
Those Who Wish Me Dead (Little, Brown, 2014).
James Patterson, one of the more prolific writers on the
paneland in the worldbelieves readers will be surprised
to learn that he does not create at the computer. I write with
a pencil, he tells Show Daily@BookCon.I have an assistant,
and once I have one draft, everything comes back to me triplespaced and I write between the lines and cross out what I dont

28

W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M

M AY 3 1 , 2 0 1 5

Andy Ryan

BY HILARY S. KAYLE

Sandy DeMille

David Burnett

James Patterson

want. Hes known for working

on several books simultaneously/
Theres usually 10 or 12 happening at one time, and I probably
will work on three or four at the
same time. Just published was
the latest in the Womens Murder
Club series, 14th Deadly Sin, written with Maxine Paetro and the
next one up, Truth or Die, coauthored with Howard Roughan will be out in three weeks.
When asked how he manages to handle multiple
projects, he says, When I was running an ad
agency years ago, there were always a hundred
things going on at the same time, so this is actually
much easier than that. I know the stories, and if
they are series, I know the voices. And it just keeps
evolving. Its not difficult; its not taxing. I dont
consider that I work for a living, I play for a living.
Another technophobe is writing legend Nelson
DeMille, whose next title in the John Corey series,
Radiant Angel was just published this week. He
reveals, One of the things that still seems to surprise readers is that I dont use technology. In fact,
DeMille doesnt type either, but also writes his
books longhand. Theres nothing between me and the pen or
the pencil. This is the way people wrote for 4,000 years and
it worked for them, it worked for Cervantes, everybody until
about Mark Twain. And my theory is that as soon as they
switched to typewriters, the writing got worse.

Brad Meltzer, whose newest book, The

Presidents Shadow is just about to be released,
chimes in. It would be so cool if this was the
pencil panel. I fill notebooks with this kind
of tiny uni-bomber handwritingI need to
have everything in one place, but I do type
everything on the computer. The characters
really start out in the notebook, because I
need to write down backstory and history
and things like that. One thing that will
be no surprise to our audience today, Meltzer adds, is the
most important thing that were going to say: Thank you.
Its not about saying, Me, me, me! Its about saying thank
you to the fans who are out there and who so graciously support what we do.
W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M

29

MYSTERIOUSLY
WICKED
AND TASTY
A

Goosebumps
Goes Hollywood!
R.L. STINE ON THE
BIG SCREEN

his year marks the 70th anniversary of the Mystery Writers

of America and the 69th year of
the prestigious Edgar Awards,
which honors the best in mystery fiction, nonfiction, and
writing for television and the
theater. In celebration, Quirk Books has
just published The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook, edited by Kate White.
The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook presents wickedly
good recipes from some masters of the genre, such as Sue Grafton, Mary Higgins Clark, Nelson DeMille, Scott Turow, and
others. Each of the more than 100 recipes comes with the
authors explanation of the link between food and foul play.
Heres Scott Turows Innocent Frittata:

30

W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M

M AY 3 1 , 2 0 1 5

fter two decades and 400 million copies of

Goosebumps books sold worldwide, R.L.
Stine gets to talk about the series in a whole
new way: as a major motion picture. He
joins actors Dylan Minnette and Ryan Lee in the
Special Events Hall at 4:15 p.m. to discuss the
long-awaited project of bringing his popular childrens comedy-horror books to the big screen.
Weve been talking about a Goosebumps movie
for at least 20 years, Stine says. And this is how
long it took before people got a script and an idea
they liked. I think a lot of people are expecting a
single book to be dramatized, but instead they came
up with this really great idea of using all the monsters from all the books.
Its not the most straightforward approach to a
Goosebumps adaptation, but its a pragmatic solution to an unusual problem: Stine has written so
much over the years that there isnt a logical starting point for a film. There are 180 Goosebumps
titles, and multiple spinoffs. It is staggering, isnt
it? Stine says. Who would be crazy enough to
write so many books?
And after all those years, the feature film will
make Stine the star character of his own series. Jack
Black will play the prolific author, whose monsters
are let loose from the Goosebumps books in which
theyve been kept. Stine himself is suddenly front
and center. Its very strange to be the main character in a movie, he says.
True to form for the series, Stine the character
will need the help of some good-hearted teenagers
to fend off monsters and save the day, while Stine,
the real-life person, is quick to praise the actors who
bring those heroes to life. The three teenagers in
it [Minnette, Lee, and Odeya Rush] are just wonderful.Theyre just so real and very sweet, and
theyre great in it.
Stines goal is for Goosebumps, the movie, to
introduce another generation of kids to the books
and through those, the joy of reading.
For me, the biggest achievement of it is all the
millions of kids who learned how to read from [my
books], Stine says. To me, thats the legacy. Now
the film is poised to do its part to entertain and
inspire kids as well.
Josh Cohen

AT R I A B O O K S W ELCO M E S
#1 N E W YO R K T I M ES B ES T SEL L I N G AU T H O R

jenni er

einer

TO B O O KCO N

Sunday, May 31
Javits Special Events Hall
Judy Blume
in conversation with
Jennifer Weiner
2:30 3:15 p.m.
Meet Jennifer Weiner
and have your book signed
at Table 6
3:30 5:00 p.m.

This summer, prepare to fall in love

O N S A L E A U G U S T 11 . P R E - O R D E R Y O U R C O P Y T O D AY !