Why I Write: Siobhan Fallon

An army base is a strange place. An army base in a time of war , especially after 4,000 men pack up their duffel bags, put on their uniforms, and leave their wives and children for an entire year. In You Know When the Men Are Gone, I attempt to show that world and the moments that lead up to the separation, the long and difficult absence, the return.

Startups for Fall: First Fiction

As usual, we begin our seasonal listings by highlighting 10 promising debut novels. Among the intriguing protagonists: a drug dealer's sibling home from a prison stretch, a Catholic priest questioning his professional path, a young woman--er, zombie--seven years into her afterlife. Siobhan Fallon, whose army major husband served two tours in Iraq, starts us off by describing what happens when the husbands are away.

Fall 2010 Hardcover Listings

Let's think about the fall when, hopefully, the oil leak in the Gulf is capped, the sound of vuvuzelas is a distant memory, and booksellers and –buyers are enthralled by Paul Roberts's book-length profile of Exxon or Jane Leavy's vivid evocation of when Mickey Mantle was an American hero.

Trade Paperback Listings 2010

Back to Business

Finally turning the page on 2009, publishers of business management books are feeling optimistic, focusing their energy on topics that suggest the worst just may be behind us, and on books that speak of rebuilding, reinvesting, reconsidering, and reinvigorating.

Why I Write: Eileen Dreyer

When I was on maternity leave with my second child, I got the bright idea to read all the classic literature I'd missed in school. Don't get me wrong. I had an excellent education. But I went through high school during the '60s, which meant that instead of Silas Marner, I read Animal Farm. Instead of Dickens, Ralph Ellison. I managed to avoid most English Victorian authors, as well as all the French and Russians.

P Is for Paranormal--Still

There's no new way to say it, except possibly en francais, the language of love. Paranormal is le dernier cri in the romance category--its hold on readers and publishers alike defies any logic or explanation. In its first year it was a phase, then it became a definite trend. Now, it's a sea change, with no evidence that the tide's waning. So, sure, everybody agrees about the Pword, but what, exactly, is its appeal— why is this romance genre so, er, bloody popular?

Bolstering the Reference Category

Earlier this month Apple released a remarkable bit of news: just 28 days after the release of the iPad, its much hyped and anticipated multifunctional touch-screen device, the company had sold one million units—a milestone achieved in less than half the time it took the company to reach with its debut iPhone in 2007. What's more, in the same time period, new iPad owners downloaded more than 12 million apps from the Apple App Store and 1.5 million books from the newly unveiled iBookstore.

Why I Write: Steven Saylor

I can't remember the bookshop, or the city where it happened. I can't even remember which book I was promoting, or much about the reader who asked it—but I'll never forget the question.

Imaginary Murders, Real Sleuths

In order to tell a good lie, it's best to mix in some truth. The same often holds true for historical mysteries: to tell an authentic whodunit set in the past, try mixing in real-life figures. In several successful historical series, authors go further than just name-checking the contemporary president or alluding to an ongoing war. Instead, they use well-known historical figures, often fellow authors, as their crime-solving heroes.

Why I Write...

A momentous event in my seventh year started me on a lifelong passion: my grandmother gave me a typewriter. I began to write to understand what I was living.

Mysteries of History

Hilary Mantel's winning the Man Booker Prize for Wolf Hall (Holt, Oct. 2009)--a novel of Tudor England focused on Thomas Cromwell, one of Henry VIII's closest adviser--makes this an appropriate time to reflect on a major mystery subgenre--the historical.

Azzarello Reinvents Pulp Icons & Superheroes in 'First Wave'

On March 3rd, DC Comics kicks off a new fictional universe built on a combination of two sturdy adventure concepts: classic pulp icons including Doc Savage and the Avenger and hardboiled superheroes from Batman to the Spirit. Or as writer Brian Azzarello put it, "The number one draw is 'Let's do a superhero book with no super powers.'"

MacDonald Relaunches Comics News Blog, The Beat

Heidi MacDonald has moved her poppuar comics news blog, The Beat, to its own web domain and will focus the site on a newly transformed (and still transforming) comics industry.

Gods, Man and Comics: George O’Connor’s Olympians

For many kids, the gods of Greek mythology are every bit as exciting as the superheroes seen in comic books and on TV. Now, with the release of George O'Connor's graphic novels Zeus: King of the Gods (First Second, Jan.) and Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess (Apr.), the gods look the part. O'Connor spoke with PW Comics Week about his visual inspiration for the books, the relationship between modern superheroes and their mythical predecessors, and how he dealt with the less PC aspects of the myths.

February Comics Bestsellers

Two of Jeff Kinney’s Wimpy Kid series, Dog Days and Last Straw, rule the top two slots; followed by Viz’s Yu-Gi-Oh! GX vol. 4; R. Crumb’s Book of Genesis and Naruto Vol. 47. Next up is Full Metal Alchemist, Vol. 22 at #7; followed by Zombie Survival Guide; Yen Press’s Black Butler, Vol. 1 and Warriors: Shattered Peace.

Diamond's Thresholds a Year Later

On January 16th, 2009, Diamond announced a policy change that would have a huge impact on the comics market: the threshold for orders on new products was bumped up from $1500 to $2500, and fewer items would be relisted after their initial offering. In the year since, the change has had far reaching effects.

Viz Signature and Manga for Grownups

Viz Media editorial manager Leyla Aker took some time to talk with PW Comics Week about the thinking behind the Signature line and Viz’s plans for SigIKKI, an online comics site that also targets older readers, as well as what is in the works for Viz Signature in 2010.

Funnies Business: Big Cross-Over Events and the Barrier Method

You ever notice how hard it is these days to pick up a single comic title from Marvel or DC? And by single a comic title, I mean picking up one series that isn’t crossing over with several other titles a couple times each year and only comes out once a month. If you want to avoid bulk purchases, this plague of crossovers amounts to a barrier to entry for readers.

It’s Here! Comics Publishers Respond to Apple’s iPad

Last week Apple CEO Steven Jobs finally unveiled the iPad, Apple’s much anticipated multimedia computing and reading device, and there was much discussion among comics publishers and fans about what the device will mean for the future of digital comics.