What’s on my radar for 2013? I must admit I haven’t been scouting for news of debut authors although a few books due for release in the next few months have caught my eye.
I imagine that for debut authors it’s all about having a fabulous publisher and publicist. In a market crowded with people trying to get a break, why do some books (written by authors no one has ever heard of) attract attention? The Art of Fielding and Tigers in Red Weather are recent examples that come to mind.
The girls over at The Broke and the Bookish are asking bloggers which debuts they’re looking forward to this year. I’ve gone for quality not quantity with this list (*ahem* my excuse for not coming up with ten!).
1. Little Known Facts by Christine Sneed (released February, 2013)- Sneed has published short stories previously but this is her first novel. I’ve read an ARC (review will be up in a few days) – I loved it.
2. Idiopathy by Sam Byers (released June, 2013) – tangled relationships in the modern world – ace.
3. Heart of Palm by Laura Lee Smith (released April, 2013) – this one is all about the Florida setting for me.
4. Indiscretion by Charles Dubow (released February, 2013) – I’m going to ignore the cover (which doesn’t appeal to me at all) and focus on the early reviews that suggest this debut is riveting.
5. Autobiography of Us by Aria Beth Sloss (released February, 2013) – this might already be my favourite book jacket of 2013.
6. Fractured by Dawn Barker (released February, 2013) – a fictional account of post-natal depression by Australian child psychiatrist, Dr Dawn Barker.
I had a difficult time coming up with ten as well. I think I managed to get 9 on my list. I hadn’t heard of any of the ones on your list, but I must admit that Indiscretion has me a little excited now (even if it does have a dud cover). Can’t wait to read what you think of these books in the coming year!
It was the ‘debut’ bit that made this top ten tricky!
I didn’t make it to ten either, but better yet, we have zero books in common which means more books to read. Tigers in Red Weather had a lot of buzz because of the 8 (?) way bidding war between publishing houses. I think everyone was curious how good it would be to have earn the 7 figure deal it good. The Gargoyle recently had something similar happen but it was not nearly as good.
Oh the typos in that comment – please ignore them, commenting from my IPhone.
Am the same – were iPhone keypads made for adult fingers?!
No – they were not designed for adults and I’m practically a child-sized adult with tiny hands! Typos are better than autocorrect though…
Yay! Can’t wait to see your list. Art of Fielding, also like Tigers, was subject of a bidding war and I think secured a near record for a debut author – would love to be a fly on the wall during the whole process.
I put Idiopathy on my list too! Looks good!
I haven’t heard of any of these but they all sound very intriguing! I’m curious about Idiopathy now.
I read about Idiopathy in a few different places – enough to make me want to get my hands on it! (I have an ARC so stay tuned for an early review).
I have not heard of these, but I hope you enjoy them!
Charles Debow’s book does sound good. It’s one I considered putting on my list, but then didn’t. I will have to keep an eye on the reviews of Autobiography for Us. That might be one my mom would like. Fractured sounds really good, but not like one I could read just yet. Maybe in a couple years.
Great list! I really struggled coming up with a list too. It was fun though, spending time browsing through lists of new releases and reading up on them. I think it’s the first time I have any clue what may be coming. And I’m sure it’s not even close to all the books coming out.
Indiscretion is also on my list! (And you’re right, the cover isn’t at all appealing). I’m very interested in checking out Autobiography of Us, sounds like a good one. Great list! I’ve found some new ones to add to my ever-growing pile. 🙂
The Top Ten 2013 Debuts I’m Looking Forward To