MADreads

Nonfiction readers will see much to like this April, as the publishing world swings into spring. After a 2018 mostly dominated by politics-related titles, April 2019 sees the return of some favorite authors to nonfiction shelves in general and the memoir genre in particular. On to the highlights:

Winter might be knocking on the door, but November is one of the hottest months for new releases. On to the highlights: 

--One of the most anticipated memoirs of recent times finally hits shelves November 13. Michelle Obama’s memoir Becoming, part of a reported $65 million dollar deal that also includes a memoir by the former President (no word yet on a release date for his book).  Given the challenge of recouping such a huge advance, expect to see this hyped just about everywhere.  

Readers will full to-read lists might do well this month to clear out some space in preparation for this October, as those lists are sure to be refilled with all the offerings coming this fall. Most of the big titles this year have been squarely in the political realm, but the buzz this October is centered on big fiction releases from names consistently associated with prizes and book discussion favorites across genres. On to the specifics:

As readers and publishers head into fall, the year’s publishing trends show no signs of stopping. Crunching the numbers, Publisher’s Weekly reports that Americans seem to be embracing reality, at least of the printed variety: nonfiction sales are up 5% from last year, driven in large part by political titles. It comes at the cost of fiction sales, which are down about the same amount. Not surprisingly, publishers are responding by bringing out and promoting their big nonfiction titles, and as September marks the start of the fall publishing push, some of those titles are hitting sh