The Report: August 10, 2026
This week, we've got a brand new feature focused on insider perspectives on the business side of self-publishing. We also round up some powerful first lines and take a look at a satirical spy novel. Happy reading!
New and Noteworthy
First Lines from BookLife AuthorsIn this edition of First Lines, we've got 1970's Bronx, the price of lemons, a tiny cemetery, and more. more
Book Biz: Andrew BridgemanAn author and BookLife contributor speaks candidly about his author sales and marketing efforts. more
First Look: 'The Spy Who Hated Me'The BookLife editors discuss their initial impressions of a book's cover design, marketing copy, and excerpt. This time, we analyze Haris Orkin's delightful farcical novel, The Spy Who Hated Me. more
Announcing The BookLife Prize Illustrated Contest Have a cookbook, children's picture book, photography/art book, or a graphic novel/comic? We're launching a new contest just for you. more
BookLife Opportunities
- Call for Submissions: Indie Spotlight: Our August Indie Spotlight will feature sci-fi and fantasy. To submit your book, email booklife@booklife.com with the subject line: "Indie Spotlight: Sci-fi and Fantasy." Include your book name, author name, and a personal statement (written in first-person).
- Free BookLife Editorial Features for Indie Authors: Standing out isn’t easy for self-published authors. BookLife’s editorial features provide visibility and credibility—at no cost. Check out the opportunities!
- Write for BookLife!: We're currently looking for pitches from the BookLife community concerning craft, self-publishing, marketing, and other editorial topics. With the subject line "BookLife Pitch," please write to booklife@booklife.com with your article idea and a brief bio.
From the Shelves: BookLife Titles on Our Radar
- 'The Day God Got Amnesia: A Divine Comedy' by Steven Winkelstein: An electric—and eclectic—cast animates the battle between Heaven and Hell in Winkelstein’s comedic adult fiction debut.
- 'The Time of The Seventh Angel' by David Gurr: A propulsive, intelligent astonishment, this decades-in-the-drafting end-times thriller from Gurr spins, with rare authority and sharp satiric bite, an urgent story of the arrival of a potential messiah.
 |
The following are this week's books from PW Select, Publishers Weekly's marketing program for indie authors. To sign up your book for PW Select, click here.
 Inside USAID: An Odyssey of Foreign Assistance by Clifford H. Brown |
 The Pickerings' Last Tango by John Grayson Heide |
 Adams Morgan Fugue by Alex Fardon |
 The Butcherbird (Marrow of Monsters) by Vince Dajani |
 Unwritten Rules by Faye Holland |
 Work Forever, Live Forever: The Caspels of Capitalism by Sanjani Nairsingh |
 What We Carry Forward by Aithal |
 Are You Grateful? Gratitude Living: Science, Scripture, & Testimonials Confirm Its Power by Joyce Addo-Atuah, PhD |
Click here to see all the recent titles enrolled in PW Select, or click here to sign up your book for the program.
