Novels that reveal the world of publishing

I discovered the joy of reading relatively late, as a teenager, and haven’t looked back since! I have also been incredibly lucky to have a career of 25 years in the world of books, and over the years have read too many books to count. Like everyone else, I do have favourite authors and genres that I return to, but one thing I particularly love is books about books! Somehow fictional titles that feature books, bookshops and libraries allow me to feel like I belong in that world even more. The most magical book series that I immediately think of is Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, a children’s fantasy series where our young heroine Meggie and her father Mo have a special gift – when he reads aloud the characters from the books come alive. However, this gift also has a dangerous side as villains accidentally get brought into the real world. These novels wonderfully explore the world of storytelling and what happens when you interfere with the boundaries between fiction and reality. Whilst I could easily write a blog on my favourite books about books (maybe next time?), I want to focus on fiction titles that feature the world of publishing in this blog. The children’s title Special Delivery was recently published and quite uniquely shows the journey of a book from when it is printed until it is in the hands of a young reader. It is a lovely view into the ‘business’ end of publishing and made me think about other books that also offer a glimpse of the publishing industry. It can be fascinating to understand how books are written, sold, edited, physically made, marketed and distributed and learning about them can add another layer of appreciation to the reading experience. Many readers are curious about the behind-the-scenes process of bringing a book to life, from typed-out manuscript all the way to holding a crisp new copy of a book in their hands.

Want to have a sneak peek into the world of publishing? Try these…

I’ve been watching Julia (based on the life of Julia Child, chef, author and television personality) on TV and was thrilled with the ongoing storyline featuring Julia Child’s editor Judith Jones and her boss Blanche Knopf of the Alfred A Knopf publishing house, both of whom are royalty in editorial circles, having edited authors like John Updike (Judith Jones is probably being best known for having rescued the Diary of Anne Frank from the reject pile) . What is fun to watch is how big, in the 1960’s, their expense accounts must have been and how much business was done over leisurely lunches with oodles of alcohol. Jumping from TV to book recommendation, if it’s a bit of a historical peek into the publishing industry that you’re after then Three-Martini Lunch will satisfy. It’s set in the vibrant mid 1950s New York publishing scene, where we meet Cliff who wants to be a novelist more for the lifestyle than actually because he enjoys writing, Eden who wants to be an editor but has to settle for a secretarial position and Miles, black and gay and trying to find inspiration for his writing – with all three characters desperately pursuing success and balancing ambition and artistic integrity. If you wanted to try other novels set in different eras then I’d recommend 84 Charing Cross Road, which documents the correspondence between a New York freelance writer (Helene Hanff) and a used bookseller in London (Frank Doel) which started in 1949 and lasted for 20 years, or My Salinger Year which recounts the author’s experience working as an assistant to JD Salinger’s literary agent in the late 1990’s and offers a behind the scenes look at the publishing industry and the role of editors in shaping the careers of authors. Set in the 1990’s but flashing back to the start of the 1950’s is The Wife, a compelling novel of a wife living in the shadow of her acclaimed author husband and her role in his success; this great novel was made into a film starring Glenn Close and Jonathan Pryce.

If romance is your favourite genre Book Lovers by Emily Henry (who has an enormous legion of fans on TikTok) should be on your must-read list. Our apparently cold and tough protagonist Nora is a cut-throat literary agent in New York and ends up in a small town confronted by her professional nemesis, the swoonworthy editor-at-large Charlie. Given that they are forced to work together on a manuscript and this is a rom-com you can guess what happens, but Emily Henry does it in such a fun way with witty banter and tongue-in-cheek talk about romance novels and clichéd characters - poking fun at tropes whilst firmly sitting in the enemies-to-lovers trope .

Moving from spicy romance to murder…. There are plenty of crime and mystery novels that feature the world of publishing and I’d particularly recommend Anthony Horowitz’s The Magpie Murders, which is a mystery novel within a mystery novel. One story follows Susan Ryland, editor at a small indie publisher, who is editing the latest manuscript in a bestselling crime series written by Alan Conway (whose continued success is required to ensure the survival of the publishing house). Susan realises that the manuscript is missing its last crucial chapter and then discovers that the author has died in suspicious circumstances. The manuscript itself (which we get to read in its entirety) is a classic whodunnit, called The Magpie Murders, set in a small English village, with private investigator Atticus Pund trying to solve the murder. Our sleuthing editor Susan realises there are clues in the manuscript and sets out to solve his murder in order to find the missing chapter. Anthony Horowitz plays with this genre, and offers us red herrings, twists and turns and suspects that all have something to hide – it is just a tremendously fun novel. Other suggestions in this genre are the Hawthorne and Horowitz series, also by Anthony Horowitz, where the author becomes a novelist in his own book, or Eight Detectives where a sharp ambitious editor wishes to republish a 20 year old book that set out the rules for murder mysteries in 7 perfect detective stories, and soon finds herself to be the eighth detective. If you’re looking for a thriller then Chris Pavone’s The Accident will deliver a breakneck-speed adventure that constantly references the world of agents, editors and writers.

Last but not least, some recommendations for books that don’t easily fall into genres…. First up is Yellowface, which has already had so many five-star reviews and endorsements there is nothing I can really add to say how brilliant it is, but if you haven’t come across this novel then you’re in for a razor-sharp treat! Athena and June are two authors with varied success in the publishing world, and when Athena unexpectedly dies June makes the decision to steal her manuscript and present it as her own. What follows is an acerbic commentary on publishing, tick-box diversity, cultural appropriation and so much more. I defy you to not gulp it down in one sitting, it really is that good. Also recommended is Sour Grapes in which the book world descends on a sleepy English village when it hosts its first literary festival; this hilarious satire on the literary world takes no prisoners as it skewers authors, agents, publishers and reviewers alike. Also worth seeking out is The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair where a young author Marcus Goldman seeks the help of his professor and bestselling author Harry Quebert to solve a murder mystery, and we get a glimpse of the process of writing and revising a novel. I’ll conclude by recommending a Browns favourite, the outlandishly fun The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde which is set in an alternative reality where literary characters can enter our world. It features the wonderful Thursday Next, a literary detective who works to solve crimes involving stolen manuscripts and kidnapped authors!

I hope you’ve enjoyed our selection of books that celebrate the power of storytelling and reading and that offer a gritty, witty or idealised glimpse on what it’s really like to work in publishing!

I’d be happy to hear of other books you’ve enjoyed that are set in the literary world to add to my TBR pile – do drop me a line, and happy reading!

Claudia, Content Selection Team