Two members of my writer’s group have books coming out in the next few months. Nicole Galland’s novel “Boy” will be published in late February, comfortably after the inauguration. But Nancy Slonim Aronie’s “Seven Secrets to the Perfect Personal Essay: Crafting the Story Only You Could Write” comes out on October 22, during the hyperventilating sprint to election day.
Our writer’s group met last Tuesday, a few hours before Kamala Harris and Donald Trump were due to debate, and I asked Nancy how she was planning to handle her book launch during this intense election season.
“I haven’t really given it any thought. Please God let me just get through tonight,” she blurted out. (Since Harris ran circles around Trump’s jaw dropping pronouncements during the debate, I’m sure Nancy was dancing with the dogs of Springfield — who are decidedly not being eaten.)
Nancy, who founded the Chilmark Writing Workshop and whose last book was “Memoir as Medicine,” went on to say that someone had offered to throw her a book party in Washington DC in November, but she wanted to wait until December in case there were riots in November.
While preparing for unrest, a mild-mannered euphemism indeed, is the new uncomfortable reality for this election season, publishers have long been strategic about what books they release during presidential election years.
Seasonal Vineyard resident Dawn Davis, an editor and publisher at Simon and Schuster, explained in an email, “We worry that the media will be focused on the election. That’s not to say we don’t think about counter programming. Some people want a distraction from the election news cycle and publishers try to plan for that with the right kind of book.”
Longtime literary agent and seasonal resident Victoria Bijur further explained, “I think publishing has been thinking about this fall for a couple of years. That is, over and over I have heard in the last year or two, ‘Oh, we can’t publish in fall 2024 because of the election.’ Publishers, especially of non-fiction that is not politically relevant, don’t want to publish anything this fall because it won’t get any media attention. People may need fiction to escape from the madness, but the media is so focused on the election that there isn’t much media real estate available to discuss books in the way they might be covered in another year.”
Which is why West Tisbury resident Geraldine Brooks’ publisher decided to wait it out with her upcoming memoir “Memorial Days,” a decision Geraldine was on board with. “My publisher absolutely wanted to steer well clear of the election, so my book won’t be out till February 4th. Since Mary Louise Kelly might as well be my roommate, given how glued I am to NPR political coverage, I agree with the decision. Thinking people will be unable to think about anything else until this is over and madam president is inaugurated.”
While publishers may be holding back some titles that they fear will get lost in the chaos, we’ll surely be seeing a rush of election-themed books in these feverish final months before November 6 and Marc Favreau’s new book for young adult readers, co-written with Michael Eric Dyson, is among them. “Represent: The Unfinished Fight for the Vote,” which chronicles the stories of people who fought back against voter suppression and championed freedom, is already making a significant splash beyond the Vineyard Sound. The book was published on debate day. Both co-authors have been interviewed on NPR, and Michael has appeared on Lawrence O’Donnell, Morning Joe, and is scheduled to appear on The View. Having just started reading the book— I’m only 30 pages in and I already want to start making calls to figure out how to get this book in the hands of every high school student on the Island.
“We are definitely motivated by the urgency of talking to young people, especially about the history of voting rights, and the threats to democracy in the present,” explained Marc, a West Tisbury resident.
Thankfully the election isn’t sidelining all non-election themed books, as we still need fabulous new reads to dig into to escape from the electoral noise. In addition to Nancy’s upcoming book, which includes personal essays written by a number of local writers, of which I am delighted to be one, a few of the literary offerings to come from Vineyard-connected authors this fall are “The Oyster Book: A Chronicle of the World’s Most Fascinating Shellfish―Past, Present, and Future” by Cottage City Oyster farmer and founder Dan Martino, and “The Summer Before” by Diane C. Braley, whose previous novel “The Summer and the Sound” takes place on the Island.
Whether you’re in the “watch, worry and wait” camp or keeping your focus elsewhere — support our local authors and remember to vote!
Please email kate@mvtimes.com with your writing-related or book news.
