The Book Bible by Susan Shapiro

Author:Susan Shapiro
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781510763692
Publisher: Skyhorse
Published: 2022-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

1. A strong clear concept that immediately resonates with readers

2. Having well-known contributors—bestselling authors, celebrities and other boldface names

3. Great writing

Speaking of great writing, a piece Botton published when she was an editor at Longreads led to its own anthology. Michele Filgate’s poignant essay Lacuna chronicles her sexual abuse by her stepfather, a man her mother stayed married to. In 2017’s #MeToo environment, Filgate’s essay went viral with Botton’s new suggested title What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About. A 3-page proposal along with her essay led Simon and Schuster to snatch it up for a debut hardcover anthology with that same name. As a book reviewer, former bookseller and fellow National Book Critics Circle board member, Filgate easily found fifteen well-known writers to contribute, including Cathi Hanauer and Sari Botton (yes, half of publishing knows one another), along with male authors Alexander Chee, Brandon Taylor and André Acimen.

Botton’s idea to call it What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About underscored the importance of an eye-catching title.

“I think having a compelling topic is the most crucial step for selling an anthology,” Filgate said via email. After her essay came out, “so many people told me they had their own stories about what they wouldn’t talk about with their mother. It became obvious almost immediately that this was a great topic for a book,” she added. It helped that she already had a platform on social media and knew writers from The National Book Critics Circle and hosting events at indie bookstores. Her proposal included a list of writers who committed to the project, as well as a list of fantasy contributors. Like Mazer, she advises those who want to sell an anthology to have a list of well-known writers attached to the proposal. “You need to have recognizable names so their fans will buy the book.”

Simon and Schuster also published the 2017 acclaimed fiction collection Everyday People: The Color—of Life—a Short Story Anthology with Jason Reynolds, Brandon Taylor and Alexander Chee (yes, the same writers do a lot of anthologies). It was edited by Jennifer Baker, an acclaimed editor who inherited the project from the late Brook Stephenson, who wanted to see a collection celebrating people of color. Perhaps being well connected, as a literary agent, helped Andrew Blauner launch several idiosyncratic anthologies including The Peanut Papers: Writers and Cartoonists on Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the Gang, and the Meaning of Life (Library of America, 2019), In Their Lives: Great Writers on Great Beatles Songs (Penguin, 2017) and The Good Book: Writers Reflect on Favorite Bible Passages (Simon and Schuster, 2017).

While Houghton Mifflin is famous for their Best American Short Story, Essay and Humor books, Cleis Press in New Jersey has published many LGBTQ-themed anthologies like Best Gay Erotica of the Year, Urban Lesbian Erotica and Twice the Pleasure: Bisexual Woman’s Erotica edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel, my fellow NYU grad who specializes in erotic lit. Beacon Press in Boston is known for putting out anthologies with diverse

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