Jewish Book Club discussion

A Jewish Book Club member who also is an author and book reviewer shares thirteen years of hard-earned wisdom in a blog for authors called Author Publishing and Marketing.

This isn't necessarily a resource but is on the topic of who gets published and how to get published, an issue of interest to our authors if not to everybody.

In the past I remember the anger of a particular Jewish author who was incensed about another author who had achieved bestseller status writing about the Holocaust. The bestseller had an element of fantasy and many had concerns re the accuracy. While there may be many books like that, this one was The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. The 1st author felt the bestselling author had reached that pinnacle by writing about the Holocaust.

Is that true? Is causality involved? How about the fact that many books on that subject do not become bestsellers? Can one "cause" one's book to be a bestseller?

Here's a book -- not a Jewish book as far as I know -- and the path the author followed to achieve success, according to the New York Times (as reprinted in my local paper): https://epaper.ajc.com/popovers/dynam...

Did that book achieve success solely based on the actions of the agent and editor? Or might something in the quality of the book have had an impact?

Here's another New York Times article I read this week, also nothing to do with a Jewish book, as far as I know. This author followed a different and unorthodox path. Why is her work skyrocketing? https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/09/bo...

In the post-war period when a lot of the classic Jewish-American writers achieved success, other authors were irked and accused them of controlling things so as to somehow engineer their success. There were accusations of a "Jewish literary mafia." So, how did this mafia cause the public to read their books? "Control of the media" might have led to the initial purchase. But repeated??? Did this mafia somehow control the Nobel committee? And if they could why didn't they continue to do so?

My new fall Jewish Review of Books came yesterday. It contains the review of a book by a Jewish author no less who it sounds like is trying to ride the outrage wave and giving some credence to such a postwar phenomenon!

I had some sympathy for the JRB critic who last year (before the Pulitzer) said (or so I took it) that Joshua Cohen had achieved readership because he wrote about the Netanyahus. But could Joshua Cohen have engineered his own success by choosing that particular topic? Isn't that like talk of a literary mafia?

How does an author achieve success?
If you're on the topic of the day, will that do it?
How do you know the topic of the day?
Does the ability to write play a part?
Something about the particular writer?
Is such success always achieved for "bad" reasons -- or is that only true of writers who do not happen to be yourself? 😉
Can we get lightning to strike? How?
Is it simple or complex?
How much are we willing to say is luck? Timing?
How much the excellence of our craft?
How does it all add up?
...Could we take it if it did?

Great topic, but the clearest answers I have obtained from lots of info on marketing is "I don't know."

Carolyn wrote: "Great topic, but the clearest answers I have obtained from lots of info on marketing is "I don't know.""

Carolyn, my post may be a variation on the theme of "I don't know!"

...as well as, "Your competitor doesn't either."

Sometimes the time is right, along the lines of "Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come."

Interesting observation about post-WWII Jewish authors. Let's see...Big three: Norman Mailer, Saul Bellow, Philip Roth. Then you have Leon Uris, Chaim Potok, who else? But yup, a Killers' Row of Letters. Must be a conspiracy. But wait! A decade or two later, you have Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, more recently, Margo Jefferson, as well as college must-reads Eldridge Cleaver and Malcolm X. Conspiracy or canard?

Some random thoughts...
1. Do certain topics ascend at certain times? Flavor of the month?

2. Does having the right representation, right, agent, right publisher, editor, and publicist matter? Am sure it does.

3. Timing can be critical with nonfiction (see flavor of the month, above), though given the long lead times, it seems serendipitous.
4. On a more mechanical level, having a short, punchy title like The Netanyahus or People Love Dead Jews, beg to be picked up.
5. Some books rise to the top because they are exceptionally well-written. For others, a compelling story seems to be enough.

But many well-written books with compelling stories never break through the noise and clutter. Which brings me back to points 1-4.

Mel wrote: "Interesting observation about post-WWII Jewish authors. Let's see...Big three: Norman Mailer, Saul Bellow, Philip Roth. Then you have Leon Uris, Chaim Potok, who else? But yup, a Killers' Row of Le..."

Before the war there hadn't been that many major Jewish writers. Then there were. How come some see conspiracy only in the latter?

You forgot Bernard Malamud. Poor Malamud.
Mailer wasn't comfortable w/being Jewish. Not that I've read him, but this came up in a recent (offline) discussion.
And I was also recently discussing Herman Wouk. He got dissed by the critics -- in part, some say, because being religious wasn't in vogue -- but by the end of his long life his best books were appreciated. (The Winds of War & War and Remembrance very important to me personally.)

And yes some great writers and who win major awards aren't read or remembered much. One example (not Jewish) is Pete Dexter. I've read two memorable books by him.

While there is much that can help, not all is under anybody's control. That's what I mean when I say "luck."

Herman Would was dissed for being a popular writer, not a "literary" one like Malamud, Bellow, Roth, etc. After WWII, Jewish writers were "in," perhaps in compensation for America's failure to bomb gas chambers in concentration camps. Now writers of color are "in" for obvious reasons. Also, antisemitism is "in" again and Jewish authors have less chance to be published. So besides luck and a good agent, politics plays a part.

Carolyn, I often find myself thinking about why they were "in." Yes, politics an aspect of that. Way back, I remember reading an article about Malamud that has stuck with me. The writer of the article said that for that period of time, and only then, Jewish writers (Jews in general?) were considered "good." I have a hypothesis other than guilt (a theological hypothesis) that I haven't come across elsewhere. Maybe I'll expound on it sometime!

I hope you do.

A history of Jewish science fiction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0C6K... I also have an academic series and a few more mainstream books out on the topic: Discovering Jewish Science Fiction: A Look at the Jewish Influences in Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, DC, Marvel, and so Many More…Discovering Jewish Science Fiction: A Look at the Jewish Influences in Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, DC, Marvel, and so Many More…… also the children's version: Encountering Jewish Science Fiction for Kids and Teens: Inside the Jewish Influences in Star Wars, Doctor Who, Superheroes, Games, Toys, and so Much More Also, as I edit an academic series analyzing Jewish SF and F, I am taking book proposals: https://rowman.com/Action/SERIES/_/LE...

A lesson in resilience

An author's response to a book tour stop at which no one showed up. Nevertheless he did not shut down, and came out ahead in the long run.

~ Not a Jewish author; pertinent to all authors ~

https://epaper.ajc.com/popovers/dynam...

James wrote: "I just wrote a side-by-side comparison/Review of two different versions of the Quran for anyone who has just thought about reading it, and struggling on which one to read, hopefully this can help:
..."

Thanks, James. Could be very helpful!
P.S. Also see our Authors Announcing Their Work thread, if that would fit for you.

Mel wrote: "Interesting observation about post-WWII Jewish authors. Let's see...Big three: Norman Mailer, Saul Bellow, Philip Roth. Then you have Leon Uris, Chaim Potok, who else? But yup, a Killers' Row of Le..."

I'm having a stray thought in response to youd comment from last year, Mel. 😊 Re point 4, a short, punchy title:
I've been fooled by a title before. If I remember the example I'll come back and put it in. Nevertheless, a good title continues to capture my attention.

Mel wrote: "Interesting observation about post-WWII Jewish authors. Let's see...Big three: Norman Mailer, Saul Bellow, Philip Roth. Then you have Leon Uris, Chaim Potok, who else? But yup, a Killers' Row of Le..."

Yes, the wonderful Bernard Malamud! What incredible stories. And The Assistant--one of the reasons to be alive is to read that book.

Jan wrote: "Carolyn, I often find myself thinking about why they were "in." Yes, politics an aspect of that. Way back, I remember reading an article about Malamud that has stuck with me. The writer of the arti..."

Please do.

Take a look at this. Ugh!

"The challenge to “The Fixer,” an award-winning 1966 work by Bernard Malamud, came amid an ongoing flurry of attempts by conservative activists to take books out of schools. And this instance of an attempted ban followed what has become an established playbook.Jul 20, 2023"

Shanah wrote: "Jan wrote: "Carolyn, I often find myself thinking about why they were "in." Yes, politics an aspect of that. Way back, I remember reading an article about Malamud that has stuck with me. The writer...

Please do."

Shanah, thanks for the encouragement. I see Carolyn also asked me to elaborate, way back last fall. Let me postpone a little longer though. It's time to get the nominations going this month, and unlike my theological hypothesis about why Jewish books were "in" then but not now, nominations are on a timeline. 😅

Aaron wrote: "Mel wrote: "Interesting observation about post-WWII Jewish authors. Let's see...Big three: Norman Mailer, Saul Bellow, Philip Roth. Then you have Leon Uris, Chaim Potok, who else? But yup, a Killer..."

Totally agree with you Aaron!

Carolyn & Shanah had asked me to go ahead and elaborate on Comment No 8 above. I had said:

Carolyn, I often find myself thinking about why they were "in." Yes, politics an aspect of that. Way back, I remember reading an article about Malamud that has stuck with me. The writer of the article said that for that period of time, and only then, Jewish writers (Jews in general?) were considered "good." I have a hypothesis other than guilt (a theological hypothesis) that I haven't come across elsewhere. Maybe I'll expound on it sometime!

Well, when people think there was less antisemitism soon after WWII, they usually think the reason is guilt. Yet "Guilt is a rope that wears thin" (Ayn Rand). I have a different hypothesis, and that is that being "one in Christ" in Christianity serves a role analogous to being "part of the Jewish people" in Judaism. Okay, got that? That being the case, "Jesus Christ" functions like "the Jewish People." During the Holocaust it may have appeared to Christians that "the Jewish people" was martyred like Jesus.
In other words, for Christians, Jews were carrying out their appropriate role of martyrdom, like Jesus's crucifixion. That's why Jews, including Jewish authors could be seen as "good" at that time.
Yes, there was earlier persecution, but piecemeal, not broadscale. And persecution of Jews didn't overcome myths about their power.
As to the "underdog" theory, I don't put much stock in that, since Jews had been underdogs for centuries. Why would being underdogs during the Holocaust and afterward in Israel, but not before, have flipped attitudes?
So, I go with my hypothesis about the analogous roles of "Jesus" and "The Jewish People."
It's a hypothesis.
Tough sell?

New publishing house with a new business model.
I was going to post as general book news but seems more relevant to authors, although anybody can comment here if so inclined. Apparently it's the aim of letting authors earn a larger share of the profits instead of paying them advances. So sounds like it would apply to already established authors, if I get it.
I saw the item in the Wall Street Journal, but here's a report from Publishers Weekly that hopefully can be opened. New.
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/b...

Jan wrote: "Carolyn & Shanah had asked me to go ahead and elaborate on Comment No 8 above. I had said:

Carolyn, I often find myself thinking about why they were "in." Yes, politics an aspect of that. Way ba..."

I've been thinking about this, Jan. Something about it sounded familiar, then I found the reference Kol HaTor 2:32:

“'Mount Zion on the sides of the north'” -- For it is “fairest of sites, joy of the whole earth, ” a description similar to what was said about Yosef....According to the Midrash , everything that happened to Yosef happened to Zion. For Mashiach ben Yosef is in the North according to the Midrash. Also, in gematria equals [156]....In the same Psalm is the verse: walk around Zion and encircle her, count her towers, etc. , which refers to the five circles of holiness around Jerusalem."

As I understand the analogy, Yosef is equivalent to Mashiach ben Yosef (who is hidden in the North)
Zion is in the "sides" of the North, and Israel/Jewish people are its residents.

So "everything that happened to Yosef happened to Zion" would be a way of saying that everything that happened to Mashiach happened to the Jewish people.

Yes, Tzion is "fair," yet the identity of Mashiach ben Yosef is of the suffering servant before the joyous and shining arrival of Mashiach ben David. I do see your point in the equivalency of suffering between Jews and Jesus. It just took me awhile.

So after the Holocaust, the world re-starts a new cycle of anti-semitism...and begs all sorts of new questions from the Jew/Jesus suffering paradigm.

And yes, "underdog" thinking is a twisted mess devoid of contextual facts, but it does evoke a sense of self-righteousness and strong emotion with lemming-like consequences. Maybe that's why it's a vital element in fiction.

Thanks for making me think!

Shanah wrote: "Jan wrote: "Carolyn & Shanah had asked me to go ahead and elaborate on Comment No 8 above. I had said:

Carolyn, I often find myself thinking about why they were "in." Yes, politics an aspect of t..."

Shanah, thanks for picking up on my hypothesis and noticing what it has in common with Kol HaTor.
Re Kol HaTor, I think I've run across that in the past, and although it's (very) tempting, I can't delve into it right now to pick up on where I've come across it before and what I made of it.

So I'll just say my hypothesis, despite the commonalities, doesn't go into prophesying the future or about Mashiach etc. Instead I just noticed the apparent functional equivalence of a concept in Judaism and one in Christianity.

I will say one more thing about my hypothesis, though, and that pertains to the Christian theological concept that they, the Christians (not "the Jews" or whoever) are responsible for killing Christ, (through their sins). There are reasons why I'm not so happy with that theology and don't think it offers a way out of blaming Jews, largely because it basically accepts the Jewish bad-guy element and in essence says "we" (Christians) are "the Jews." But what can you do about some other religion's theology? Since that's the theology, though, it's the case that, in terms of that theology, my functional equivalence hypothesis says that, for those who are hating Israel, Israelis, "Zionists," and Jews, they, the Jew-haters, are still doing it.

This probably doesn't belong in "author resources," so if we anticipate being drawn into deep theological debates we should probably have a new discussion for that! ☺️

Thanks for making me think, too!

Jan wrote: "Shanah wrote: "Jan wrote: "Carolyn & Shanah had asked me to go ahead and elaborate on Comment No 8 above. I had said:

Carolyn, I often find myself thinking about why they were "in." Yes, politics..."

I'm to the age now where I'm always excited when I pull something from the file drawer of my memory :)

Shanah wrote: "... I'm to the age now where I'm always excited when I pull something from the file drawer of my memory :) "

Here's what I pulled up from my file drawer. I think you'll get at least one free look, so don't close it until you finish with it or copy it. :)
https://jewishreviewofbooks.com/artic...

Jan wrote: "Shanah wrote: "... I'm to the age now where I'm always excited when I pull something from the file drawer of my memory :) "

Here's what I pulled up from my file drawer. I think you'll get at least..."

Excellent article...I think of a line from "Driver," an Israeli movie. Translated into English, the line is "A story is never a lie." I liked it so much I'm including it in the front matter of the sequel to my Just a Hat YA book. I just finished the rough draft of the sequel yesterday...a huge accomplishment because I totally shut down after the flight home from Israel on October 8. I couldn't even open the Word file for months. It would be interesting to see how Rivlin's psychological process worked in creating Kol HaTor. Great fiction is conceived in trauma. We measure out the truth by teaspoon or cupful into the imagination. Do the "lies" of fiction ease the author's dissonance? And does it accomplish the same purpose in the readers?

Thank you for the link. Wonder what everyone else here at Gate B6 is reading? ;)

Shanah wrote: "... Excellent article...I think of a line from "Driver," an Israeli movie. Translated into English, the line is "A story is never a lie." I liked it so much I'm including it in the front matter of the sequel to my Just a Hat YA book. I just finished the rough draft of the sequel yesterday...a huge accomplishment because I totally shut down after the flight home from Israel on October 8. I couldn't eve ..."

Congratulations on finishing the draft of your sequel. ...Not the least because you made an honest woman of me by turning this discussion back into "authors' resources!" 😅

FYI
This isn't necessarily a resource, but a point of information.

RELEASE OF NEW BOOKS
The Jewish Book Council put on their annual "Author Conference" over a three day period May 20th 2025.
Registering to watch 280 authors pitch their new books was
a fascinating experience; a bit of marathon so to speak, covering
so many genres.
Many of these authors are in our Jewish Book Club here.
Also, many of these books are not so cost prohibitive.