Feature Friday: Amazon Lists ‘Best Books of the Year So Far’

We’re half-way through 2012, and already this year, some incredible new books have hit the stands.  On Monday, June 25th, Amazon released a list of the “Best Books of the Year So Far,” including ‘best books’ by category, as well as Editor picks for the top 20 books overall.  Amazon compiled lists in 13 different categories, which included Literature & Fiction, Biographies & Memoir, Teen Books, Science Fiction & Fantasy, and Non-Fiction, to name a few.  Interestingly, while Amazon has certainly been influential in the rise of self-publishing, according to GalleyCat, “The top ten books on the list were all published by the Big Six publishers.”

Here are 10 of the 20 Best Books of the Year So Far, according to Amazon Editors:

1. Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo
2. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
3. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
4. Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain
5. The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert A. Caro
6. The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson
7. Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
8. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
9. The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
10. Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power by Steve Coll

What do you think of Amazon’s choices for Best Books?  Do you agree with their selections?  Did you read anything this year that you think should have made the cut?

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Legally Speaking

In this New York Bookwoman “Legally Speaking” column, Dina Di Maio discusses the importance of a clearly defined contract when co-authoring a work.

My friend and I are writing a book together. Do we need a contract?*

Yes! I know an author who co-wrote a work and constantly polices it because the other author claims sole ownership and uses it without her permission. It is essential if you are undertaking a collaborative work that you create a collaboration agreement. Even if you and your friend work well together and have a great writing partnership, when it comes to ownership, control, and finances, conflict is bound to arise without clearly defined terms.

There are many things you want to consider in a collaboration agreement. The first is ownership. Under U.S. copyright law, “a work prepared by two or more authors with the intention that their contributions be merged into inseparable or interdependent parts of a unitary whole” is a joint work. Copyright ownership exists the moment the two authors create the work. However, a collaboration agreement shows ownership of the work and allows parties to divide ownership any way they want. You also want to stipulate who has control over what happens to the book — who makes artistic decisions. In addition, you want to establish how an advance and royalties will be split. They don’t have to be split evenly. Also, you want to be clear about how the work will be credited — whose name will be first, will the names be in different sizes, etc. A non-competition clause also may be in order, so that no one author will publish a book that competes with this one. You may also want to be specific about warranties and who will be responsible for breaches of contract. Will you be responsible for the whole book or just a portion? It’s best to be specific and detailed about all of these things. Keep in mind, a collaboration agreement is not a publishing contract, and both authors can decide whether to sign a publishing contract jointly or separately. It is best to seek the advice of an attorney who has experience in collaboration agreements.

Dina Di Maio is an attorney licensed in New York and Tennessee. She worked in the legal department of the Authors Guild and is a member-at-large. She has written/edited for Family Circle, Scholastic, Vault.com, Glamour, Time Out New York, and more. She lives in Manhattan and writes about food on her food blog: www.huntingfortheverybest.wordpress.com.

*This is legal information only. For legal advice on your specific situation, please see an attorney.

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Around Town: Word for Word

Photo Credit: blog.bryantpark.org

Spice up an otherwise dull lunch break in Midtown by attending the Bryant Park reading series, Word for Word.  This series is held in the Bryant Park Reading Room, an open air library by the park.  The series holds readings both midday and in the evening, and events range from poetry readings to storytime for the kids.  This Wednesday, June 27th, from 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM, This American Life contributor Dave Hill will discuss his book, Tasteful Nudes:…and Other Misguided Attempts at Personal Growth and Validation.  The event will be hosted by actress Janeane Garofalo.  For more information on this or other reading events at Bryant Park this summer, visit their website here.

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Meet the New Co-Editor of The New York Bookwoman, Sonia Kane!

The following piece, written by New York Bookwoman Co-Editor Rhona Whitty, was published in the New York Bookwoman’s May issue to introduce the new Co-Editor, Sonia Kane.

I am thrilled to welcome Sonia Kane as Co-Editor of The New York Bookwoman! Sonia is a lifelong Brooklynite and book lover, whose favorite books of all time are the ones her mother passed down to her: Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women and Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden. Among her favorite contemporary authors are Amy Bloom, Julia Glass, Walter Mosley, and Richard Russo, and she has recently been enjoying the intricately plotted novels of the nineteenth-century author Anthony Trollope.

She credits her working-class parents with her love of words: her mother taught reading in the public school system and her father worked in the printing industry in the days of hot metal. Books, newspapers, and magazines were common currency in her family. A piece of childhood artwork, unfortunately now lost, featured her father sitting in an armchair reading The New York Times, eating an apple, and watching a baseball game all at the same time, while the family cat perches on his shoulder!

She holds a PhD in English from CUNY, specializing in eighteenth-century British literature; her dissertation discusses father-daughter relationships in the works of six women writers of the period. Since 2004, she has taught as an adjunct in the English department of Hunter College, and teaches courses there today in both expository writing and literature.

When she is not reading, writing, or grading papers, she may be found at the yoga studio or in Prospect Park playing volleyball with a group of dedicated friends!

We look forward to your involvement in the New York Bookwoman, Sonia!

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WNBA Wednesday: Women in the World of Words

An invitation to the first unofficial meeting of the WNBA

Founded in 1917, the Women’s National Book Association is an impressive 95 years old, and quickly approaching its 100th birthday!  The organization has accomplished much since the founding chapter in New York was established, but as we plan our upcoming calendar year, it is easy to forget the amazing women who got us here.  Thus, this week we thought it fitting to share with you Women in the World of Words, a “chronological vignette drawn from the archives,” which was created in 1967 for the 50th anniversary of the WNBA.

This chronicle is a truly fascinating look at the history of the WNBA, beginning with the WNBA creed and a letter from the 1967 National President, Victoria Johnson.  It moves on to document the formation of the organization, including photos of the original invitations.  In fact, images of past invitations, event flyers, and newspaper clippings comprise much of the document, giving readers a taste of what it might have been like to join the WNBA in another era.  It also includes information on some of the WNBA’s most esteemed past members, as well as the beginnings of The Bookwoman.  For anyone interested in the rich history of the WNBA, Women in the World of Words is a remarkable read!

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