Jane Friedman's Blog: Jane Friedman, page 15

Authors Equity partners with German new adult romance imprint

Starting this fall, Authors Equity will bring a number of bestselling LYX Books to North American readers on an expedited schedule.

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Links of Interest: May 7, 2025

The latest in AI, traditional publishing, culture & politics, bookselling, and trends.

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An Argument for Why The Christmas Carol Is Really a Coming-of-Age Story

“Sister Fan” by Jim, the Photographer is licensed under CC BY 2.0 [image error][image error].

Today’s post is by author, filmmaker, and coach Colleen Patrick.

True or false: Ebenezer Scrooge changes who he is at the end of Charles Dickens’ immortal classic, A Christmas Carol.

When I begin my writing seminars with this challenge, a wave of hands flies up when I ask, “True?”

The eager group becomes self-righteously still, arms crossed, for, “False?”

When I proclaim the premise false, a disbelieving cacophony ensues. “That’s crazy!” “Of course he changed!” “No way!” “He completely transformed!”

Before desks can be overturned, notebooks thrown, pencils broken, and the otherwise docile writers trip over one other, desperate to escape and demand a refund, I explain.

My belief is that Scrooge became who he really is—or was, inside, all along. But he was too terrified to face his past because of the emotional wounds and turmoil he was dealt in childhood.

Dickens’ Christmas treatise is the gold standard for understanding human psychology, far ahead of its time. As serious as the subject is, he chose to tell his story using a whimsical writing style, no doubt to lower our resistance to deal with these serious, mysterious ordeals.

Before I deconstruct Ebenezer’s literary journey to prove my case, let’s gain some insights about the preeminent authority of A Christmas Carol: Charles Dickens.

In autumn 1843, Dickens’ funds were depleted, his career careening with poor sales of his latest episodic, The Life and Times of Martin Chuzzlewit. Desperate to excite readers again and please his bankers, he decided to write a full book with a Christmas theme. He had just begun dabbling with the world of spirits and poltergeists, so he began writing the ghostly A Christmas Carol October 14, 1843. It was released just two months later, on December 19. He wrote it so quickly he was not entirely happy with the published work—which, in only a matter of days, became the bestselling book in all of 1843.

In fact, the book’s phenomenal popularity, as well as its many iterations, continues nearly 200 years after its initial release.

I contend its audience magnetism derives from Dickens’ character structure for Scrooge. After dramatizing how the world sees Ebenezer, and how he experiences the world, Dickens takes us more deeply into the mind and heart of Scrooge than we’d normally be allowed any male character at that time.

It’s an inside job. Everything and everyone he grapples with emanates from his mind, his gut, his heart, his imagination. The ghost of Marley and the Spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future appear from his inner tumult, feelings he has been fighting to mute for so many years. His dilemmas become like a large balloon he strives to hold underwater—which, as we all know, is impossible. He tries to dismiss them, because, after all, they just might be conjured from “an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of underdone potato.”

No. They’re created from his inner upheaval, facing his woulda, coulda, shoulda life. Reflection is not Ebenezer’s strong point. He reluctantly scuffles, parries and thrusts with Marley, the Christmas Spirits and every bombshell revelation he encounters on his journey of self-discovery, each one creating more conflict and epiphanies to pull the story forward.

The inciting incident is not Bob Cratchit’s sad Tiny Tim story or Marley’s terrifying apparition or a pair of do-gooder business peers seeking donations for the poor. It’s his full of Christmas cheer adult nephew, Fred, who intrudes at Scrooge’s place of business, disgusting the “Bah! Humbug!” miser.

Scrooge ridicules Fred’s ebullient Christmas demeanor and dismisses him, burying the pain he carries from seeing his nephew under any circumstance. The reason: Scrooge blames his nephew for the death of the only person who ever loved Ebenezer unconditionally—his sister, Fan. She died giving birth to Fred. Incidentally, Dickens had a sister named Fan.

We get to know characters by the way they react to whatever or whoever confronts them. Our attention remains rapt when we discover how characters respond: what they’re feeling, what they’re thinking. Being literary sleuths, we want to solve this mystery—what makes Scrooge behave so badly? How can he be redeemed?

Dickens uses conversation—inner monologues from Scrooge and dialogue with interlopers—to show us what he’s thinking, remembering, and feeling. Each new character forces him to react—to deal with feelings and memories he believed long sealed away.

Compliments of the Ghost of Christmas Past, Scrooge sees the school and pals that made him so happy, he can’t help but clap his hands and laugh. Then he sees himself—broken-hearted, though putting on a brave face for his peers, left to suffer Christmas alone in his room as they happily leave to enjoy the holidays with their families. Scrooge weeps openly, recalling the pain he locked in.

This is followed by the joy of his younger sister, Fan, surprising him. She has arranged to take him home for Christmas. She reaches up to hug her taller brother, proclaiming their father is so much kinder and happier now. Scrooge is overwhelmed with gratitude. Fan’s loving, generous, kind older brother was rewarded with her appreciation, affection and protection; he’s thrilled.

CUT TO: Fan, the adult, giving birth to Fred, her last words beseeching Scrooge to watch over her baby. Scrooge again weeps openly as he witnesses the only person who ever loved him unconditionally slipping away from her life. And his. Because of that baby. Fred.

I maintain that without these early scenes, we would never believe in Scrooge’s redemption on Christmas day. This is who the guy really is. But, like many who experience a severe trauma, he becomes emotionally stuck. He locks out the possibility of love because even the thought of its loss is too excruciating to bear.

Without proper guidance or therapy, kids who are raised in out-of-control environments tend to be controlling adults. Scrooge found what he could control—business and money. Money that never bought him happiness, but power and control are always for sale.

Later, despite a lovely young woman who wanted to marry him, Scrooge prioritized peer approval, privilege, and profit. He recalls his first boss, Mr. Fezziwig, who threw wonderful Christmas parties and gave generous bonuses. He relives being disrespectful to Mr. Fezziwig, which, in hindsight, he regrets. A mature breakthrough: expressed empathy. Now Scrooge is open to receiving new life information about what he’s previously missed because of his emotional blinders.

Thanks to the Ghost of Christmas Present, Scrooge becomes swept up in the heady bliss of the season he celebrated years ago, passing by new toys in shop windows, then experiencing the joy of an invisible visit to the poor, but loving, Cratchit family. While Bob Cratchit did not disparage his boss at their meager Christmas goose dinner, his wife does—loudly, sparing no insults.

Scrooge’s empathy expands once more to wonder after the sickly Tiny Tim. The Ghost grimly informs Scrooge that without proper care, the diminutive child who walks with a crutch will die. Scrooge is stricken. Concerned. For the first time we see him care about something—someone—more deeply than business, money or being on the lookout for someone looking to cheat him.

The Ghost of Christmas Future shows Scrooge that when he dies, he will reap what he has sown. Those left behind are near celebratory—ridiculing his death, stealing his burial clothes and jewelry, they would have taken his teeth if they had access.

But unlike before his nocturnal Spirits’ reckoning, his attention remains on the Cratchits and sickly Tiny Tim, and his unkept vow to his dear Fan—to watch over Fred.

Arising Christmas morning, he is on fire with the Spirit of Christmas. He has a life to live! To give! Everything good he felt as a boy is now alive and energized in his aging body—whose spine is again straightened, not curved and bent over like an old man. What thrilled him at Christmas as a boy has come full circle. It’s once again alive in him now as an adult.

Radiating the ebullience of the season, he sets out to make amends to his nephew, bring gifts and a turkey to the Cratchits so they might all share a genuinely Merry Christmas, complete with a pay raise for Bob and a position for his older son.

Scrooge chose to live in gratitude rather than anger at what he doesn’t have or what he believed was taken from him. Thus, the elder Ebenezer Scrooge becomes the person he had locked inside most of his life, maturing with every revelation along the way. A true coming-of-age story.

Because Dickens took us on this journey, first showing us the outside world of Scrooge, how others react to him negatively, then taking us through the inner sanctum of Scrooge’s mind, we are hooked, possibly discovering the Scrooge inside us, wishing we could also find a similar redemption. I mean, after all, if Ebenezer Scrooge can do it…

I’d be remiss not to mention Dickens’ focus on life and death. Or rather, early on, Scrooge’s fear of death, and later, living a full life, having no fear of death.

The book starts out by declaring Marley is as dead as a door nail. Buried. Gone. Just like Ebenezer’s feelings and wounded memories. When Marley appears as an apparition, Scrooge is terrified. Of death. Of the ghost’s message. Near the end, he’s fearful of his own passing. But when he reclaims the youthful bliss of living out loud, giving, sharing, loving, then joining his nephew (his birth family (and then the Cratchits (his chosen family), his fear of death vanishes.

In one night’s drama, Dickens has brought us through a personal evolution many of us have spent years in therapy, self-help books and “personal growth” seminars trying to achieve.

I declare to my students: No matter how old the body, it’s never too late! Scrooge’s is a coming-of-age story.

Building Devices That Drive Story Suspense

Today’s post is by author Janee’ Butterfield.

Let’s be honest—writer’s block is frustrating. It creeps in when you least expect it and can make even the most dedicated writer feel like they’ve run out of ideas. For thriller writers, the pressure can feel even heavier. You’re not just trying to write—you’re trying to shock, grip, twist, and terrify.

But here’s the secret: you don’t always need a plot to start writing. You need a trigger. And sometimes that trigger is a single object.

Building devices that drive suspense

When I’m stuck creatively, I don’t stare at a blank page and wait for a plot twist to materialize. I start with a device—something strange, eerie, or dangerous. A tool, object, or mechanism that instantly creates unease. From there, the story starts to grow.

In my debut novel Caught in Cryptic, I built the plot around a pair of yellow-tinted glasses. These weren’t your average retro shades. They had tiny windshield wipers that scraped back and forth across the lenses, creating a bizarre and unsettling effect. But their real horror came from what they did: if the wearer disobeyed a certain rule, the glasses would activate a timed chemical agent that burned through the eyes. It was psychological torment with a built-in countdown.

The sequel, Falling Cryptic, expanded that idea with virtual reality glasses that trapped users inside manipulated memories, making it nearly impossible to tell reality from illusion. Both sets of devices served one core function: raise the stakes, distort control, and force my characters into impossible decisions.

The right device doesn’t just add suspense—it becomes the engine of the story.

Why devices work

There’s something primal about the fear of being trapped, controlled, or helpless in the face of an object you don’t fully understand. Devices tap into that.

Here are a few iconic examples that inspired me and perfectly illustrate this concept:

The Ring (2002): A cursed VHS tape kills anyone who watches it within seven days. It’s simple, tangible, and terrifying. The moment the characters hit “play,” the countdown begins. The tape isn’t just a prop—it’s the core of the horror.Saw’s Reverse Bear Trap: This device does more than threaten physical destruction. It represents the larger moral dilemma of the series: how far are you willing to go to survive? Its visceral design and time pressure create immediate dread.Stephen King’s Christine: A 1958 Plymouth Fury with a mind of its own. It seduces, possesses, and kills. Christine is both a character and a device—one that transforms the mundane (a car) into something monstrous.

What makes these examples unforgettable isn’t the object itself—it’s the rules tied to them. The countdown. The punishment. The helplessness. It’s the stakes.

Tech meets terror

I work in the tech industry full time and write thrillers on the side, so technology naturally shapes the way I think about suspense. In Caught in Cryptic and Falling Cryptic, I used devices like yellow-tinted glasses that punished disobedience and virtual reality tools that manipulated memory. My newest book, Nighty Night, Dear, introduces the Dream Catcher—a device that turns sleep into a weapon. I’m especially drawn to tools that act like subconscious conditioning—tech that controls behavior in subtle, disturbing ways.

For me, the goal is to make these devices feel possible—grounded in logic, but just eerie enough to keep you up at night.

I always ask myself:

What fear does this device tap into?What are the consequences of its misuse?How does it reflect a deeper emotional or societal truth?

Because at the heart of a great device is more than function—it’s a motive. Something the reader can recognize and fear in their own lives.

Literary lifelines

Some of my favorite authors also inspire this approach. Freida McFadden’s psychological thrillers have taught me how to weaponize the ordinary. Jeneva Rose’s clever twists remind me to keep readers guessing. Mia Sheridan’s emotionally rich storytelling challenges me to add heart even to horror.

Each of them, in their own way, builds tension not just through plot but through things—notes, recordings, tech, locked rooms, broken phones. Tangible items that change the game.

Start small

If you’re staring at a blank page, don’t force the plot. Start with the device.

Ask yourself: what object could you place in a room that would shift the atmosphere? What’s the rule attached to it? What happens if someone breaks that rule?

Sometimes the key to moving forward isn’t inventing a new plot—it’s finding the one thing that breaks your character’s sense of safety.

For me, it started with a man at a ballpark wearing yellow-tinted glasses. Something about him gave me chills. Years later, those glasses became the seed for my first thriller. And every book since has been a search for the next eerie mechanism.

Ideas aren’t magic. They’re built—one creepy object at a time.

New agents at Wave Literary

Bethany Saltman and Jessica Larios-Zarate have joined Wave Literary, a full-service literary agency.

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New Adult Book Prize in the UK

The Bookseller has announced a new award for the fiction category of new adult, which focuses on the transitional years after young adulthood.

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Book Industry Study Group launches Find a Rightsholder

The new tool at the BISG website helps locate contacts for rights and permissions. It is free for everyone.

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Links of Interest: April 30, 2025

The latest in marketing & promotion, bookselling, culture & politics, AI, and more.

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Amazon Advantage customers are being migrated to Amazon Vendor Central

Amazon is migrating all Advantage vendors to Amazon Vendor Central to manage their business, starting on May 12, 2025.

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Username or E-mail Password * function mepr_base64_decode(encodedData) { var decodeUTF8string = function(str) { // Going backwards: from bytestream, to percent-encoding, to original string. return decodeURIComponent(str.split('').map(function(c) { return '%' + ('00' + c.charCodeAt(0).toString(16)).slice(-2) }).join('')) } if (typeof window !== 'undefined') { if (typeof window.atob !== 'undefined') { return decodeUTF8string(window.atob(encodedData)) } } else { return new Buffer(encodedData, 'base64').toString('utf-8') } var b64 = 'ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789+/=' var o1 var o2 var o3 var h1 var h2 var h3 var h4 var bits var i = 0 var ac = 0 var dec = '' var tmpArr = [] if (!encodedData) { return encodedData } encodedData += '' do { // unpack four hexets into three octets using index points in b64 h1 = b64.indexOf(encodedData.charAt(i++)) h2 = b64.indexOf(encodedData.charAt(i++)) h3 = b64.indexOf(encodedData.charAt(i++)) h4 = b64.indexOf(encodedData.charAt(i++)) bits = h1 << 18 | h2 << 12 | h3 << 6 | h4 o1 = bits >> 16 & 0xff o2 = bits >> 8 & 0xff o3 = bits & 0xff if (h3 === 64) { tmpArr[ac++] = String.fromCharCode(o1) } else if (h4 === 64) { tmpArr[ac++] = String.fromCharCode(o1, o2) } else { tmpArr[ac++] = String.fromCharCode(o1, o2, o3) } } while (i < encodedData.length) dec = tmpArr.join('') return decodeUTF8string(dec.replace(/\0+$/, '')) } jQuery(document).ready(function() { document.getElementById("meprmath_captcha-68131f9dbb9d2").innerHTML=mepr_base64_decode("MTMgKyAzIGVxdWFscz8="); }); Remember Me     Forgot Password

Reimagining Your Competitors as Collaborators

Photo by Fábio Varotti on Unsplash

Today’s post is by Hanna Kjeldbjerg, Vice President at Wise Ink Media.

As a writer in the age of capitalism, it can feel like your art, and your calling, become commodities—and that other books are your competition.

But most readers don’t buy just one book. So authors with similar books are not your competition—they’re your colleagues! And after almost fifteen years in publishing, I truly believe in the saying, “A rising tide lifts all boats.”

Engaging with authors whose books are similar to yours is a valuable opportunity for inspiration and collaboration. Here are a few ways to find, and lean into, your book community.

Identify comparative titles

There’s a reason that identifying comparative titles (or “comps”) is something agents look for in query letters. Compelling comps doesn’t mean that the “box has been checked” for your subject—it affirms that an audience exists for books like yours.

And a query letter isn’t the only place you can leverage comparative titles. Include them in your online sales and marketing descriptions: “Fans of Book Title will love [shared element.]” This is a win-win, because it aligns you with a book you admire and signal boosts their title.

Comparative titles can also be incorporated in your Amazon advertising strategy. One ad category is called “Sponsored Products,” where you can pay to be included on the “Products related to this item” section of a book’s Amazon listing.

Become a fan

The best comparative titles are typically by authors who are contemporary (published in the last few years) and not celebrities (unless you are too!). This means that these writers are likely present online—and they aren’t too famous to truly appreciate another fan.

So read their work. Leave five-star reviews with genuine affirmations. Sign up for their newsletter. Follow them on social media and don’t just lurk, but make yourself known to them by commenting on their posts. Likewise, comment on their blog posts—it’s a common feature, but so few people take the time to comment. Celebrate their wins, knowing they’re a kindred spirit.

Invite collaboration

Find yourself measuring your success against theirs? Partner up instead. Know that success can be symbiotic, so reference their book as recommended reading on your website, socials, and even in your book’s back matter.

Keep in mind: this only works if your offer is bigger than your ask. Avoid anything that feels like asking for a favor. This means that their audience should be of comparable size to yours. (Don’t underestimate the power of a “micro-influencer”!) Come prepared—it is far easier to say “yes” when the work is complete, and the offer is clear.

Since this is a cold call, it’s crucial to personalize your message and make it clear it’s not an email blast. Do your research. Don’t ask to trade social media features if they sell paid promotional posts. Specifically reference why you’re a fan and let them know you’re already promoting them to your network. Bring a humble spirit to the outreach, and don’t take it personally if they’re too busy—know that the right opportunity will come.

Once you’ve connected, include them in your marketing strategy. If you’re both local, plan a shared bookstore event, where through the strength of your networks alone, you can double the attendance. Quote each other in articles and pitch yourselves for joint media interviews. Submit applications to conferences for panel discussions. It’s a lot harder to feel like you’re in a race when you’re standing beside each other.

Ask for endorsements

Especially when you share an audience, writing an endorsement is a win-win because it’s one more way for an author to get their name out there. Before and After the Book Deal by Courtney Maum says, “A good blurb is a testament to the quality of the book in question, but also an example of how well the endorser writes themselves.”

Don’t reinvent the wheel

In Steal Like an Artist, Austin Kleon says, “Nothing is original, so embrace influence, school yourself through the work of others, remix and reimagine to discover your own path.” With this wisdom in mind, becoming an intentional observer is one of the best things you can do for your publishing career.

A few places to look for inspiration are:

Social media. Which platforms are they most active on? That’s likely where your audience is congregated. The best writers are readers, and if your book is similar to theirs, remember that you likely are their target audience. So study their outreach, notice what style of content resonates with you, and emulate that in your strategy.Author website. Spend time with their website, noting the structure, content, and any noteworthy elements that could inspire yours. Do they offer resources or have an active blog? Visit their Events tab to see what industry events they’re attending, where they’re speaking, and which bookstores are hosting signings—consider if those are good opportunities for you too.Media features. Media that is interested in your comparative creators will likely be interested in you too. What press are they getting? This will help you build your own media list. Google their name. If there’s a lot of press, you can filter by clicking “Tools,” then move “Any time” to “Past year” to see recent coverage. You can also put a Google Alert on their names to review future coverage.Customer reviews. Reading customer reviews of your comps on Amazon, Goodreads, and StoryGraph is a good way to get in the head of your potential readers and understand what they like and don’t like in a book. This can especially be helpful in the writing and revision process, but also helps you understand how your book aligns with, and stands out from, other books in your genre.Join the conversation

Feel like it’s “already been done”? Join the conversation.

Consciously tune in to their media features. How does your perspective engage with theirs, or explore the topic from a different angle? The best media pitches often reference previous articles or episodes, because it doesn’t diminish your take, but affirms the shared audience. “The End” is for fairy tales, not cultural conversations.

In the book business, we call them “comparative titles.” Because they aren’t competition. They are good company. Here’s to lifting each other up.