Where will we find the next generation of book bestsellers? In 2015, readers and booksellers were delighted by discoveries of half-century old manuscripts that yielded Go Set A Watchman, a novel from the reclusive Harper Lee, and What Pet Should I Get?, by the beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss. The bestseller lists for 2015 also included Grey, a retelling of the bawdy smash 50 Shades of Grey.
Yet audiences – not to mention publishers – will need to discover new tales and new talent if the book business is to thrive.
One good place to start is the annual Miami Book Fair International, held recently on the streets surrounding Miami Dade County College. The largest public book fair in the nation, the MBFI hosts hundreds of authors, from National Book Award finalists in poetry to self-published first-time novelists and journalists.
Beyond the Book regular Andrew Albanese, Publishers Weekly senior writer, joined Oren Teicher, CEO, American Booksellers Association to discuss the importance, and the challenge, posed by the search for the source of the next generation of “classics.” CCC’s Chris Kenneally moderated the program.