Roundups of the April GalleyChat are below. To read the full chat, search Twitter and Mastodon by #ewgc.

— EarlyWord GalleyChat, April, 2023 — link to spreadsheet of the titles on Google Docs. Includes quotes from tweets, notes on debuts, diversity titles, those mentioned for the first time, LibraryReads deadlines and DRC availability. It also lists a few titles that are not in the Edelweiss catalog. NOTE: If you have any trouble downloading the spreadsheet, please let us know.

— Edelweiss catalog — includes covers, publisher marketing information, and links to Edelweiss DRCs.

Our next chat is scheduled for TUESDAY (note change from our regular first Thursday), 5/2/23, 4 to 5 pm ET (3:30 for virtual cocktails).

The next LibraryReads deadline is May 1, for books publishing in June. Please give special attention to our list of upcoming diversity titles.

Roundups of the March GalleyChat, held simultaneously on Twitter and Mastodon, are below. To read the full chat, search Twitter and Mastodon by #ewgc.

— EarlyWord GalleyChat, March, 2023 — link to a spreadsheet of the titles on Google Docs. Includes quotes from comments, notes on debuts, diversity titles, and those mentioned for the first time, LibraryReads deadlines and DRC availability. NOTE: If you have any trouble downloading the spreadsheet, please let us know.

— Edelweiss catalog — includes covers, publisher marketing information, and links to Edelweiss DRCs.

Our next chat is scheduled for Thursday, April 6th, 4 to 5 pm ET (3:30 for virtual cocktails). NOTE: May’s chat will be held on a Tuesday May 2, to avoid conflict with LJ’s Day of Dialog on Thursday, May 4.

The next LibraryReads deadline is April 1, for books publishing in May. Please give special attention to our list of upcoming diversity titles.

Roundups of the February GalleyChat are below. To read the full chat, search Twitter and Mastodon by #ewgc.

— EarlyWord GalleyChat, Feb, 2023 — link to spreadsheet of the titles on Google Docs. Includes quotes from tweets, notes on debuts, diversity titles, those mentioned for the first time, LibraryReads deadlines and DRC availability. It also lists a few titles that are not in the Edelweiss catalog. NOTE: If you have any trouble downloading the spreadsheet, please let us know.

— Edelweiss catalog — includes covers, publisher marketing information, and links to Edelweiss DRCs.

Our next chat is scheduled for Thursday, March,  2nd,  4 to 5 pm ET (3:30 for virtual cocktails).

The next LibraryReads deadline is March 1, for books publishing in April. Please give special attention to our list of upcoming diversity titles.

Roundups of the January GalleyChat are below. This month, we held the chat simultaneously on Twitter and Mastodon. The majority of the activity was on Twitter. To read the full chat, search Twitter and Mastodon by #ewgc. The following roundups of titles cover both chats.

— EarlyWord GalleyChat, Jan, 2023 — link to a spreadsheet of the titles on Google Docs. Includes quotes from comments, notes on debuts, diversity titles, and those mentioned for the first time, LibraryReads deadlines and DRC availability. NOTE: If you have any trouble downloading the spreadsheet, please let us know.

— Edelweiss catalog — includes covers, publisher marketing information, and links to Edelweiss DRCs.

Our next chat is scheduled for Thursday, February 2nd, 4 to 5 pm ET (3:30 for virtual cocktails).

The next LibraryReads deadline is February 1, for books publishing in March. Please give special attention to our list of upcoming diversity titles.

Several of our long-time GalleyChatters have left Twitter, finding it inhospitable.

Fearing this may become a trend, we are migrating our GalleyChats to a new platform, Mastodon.

Mastodon explains itself in this video:

To ease into it, we will hold this month’s chat, Thursday January 5th, 4 t0 5 pm ET (3:30 for pre-chat cocktails),  on both Twitter and Mastodon. Please choose just ONE for your posts with the hashtag #ewgc. UPDATE, on second thought, use either or both, if you want to practice. I’ll sort it out in the roundup.

If Mastodon seems to work for us, we will hold the February 2nd chat on Mastodon only.

For those who are want to make the switch now —

1. Create your account here 
2. Mastodon will ask you to choose a “server instance”.  Mastodon is decentralized across independently managed servers, each of which is administered separately and has its own rules. You can join GalleyChat from any of the servers by using our hashtag #ewgc. EarlyWord and several GalleyChatters chose mastodonbooks.net
3. If you don’t like Mastodon’s default black background, you can change the setting to “light” under Preferences
4. Looking for an alternative to TweetDeck? Try Sengi — https://nicolasconstant.github.io/sengi/
5. For those who want to schedule posts on Mastodon (called “toots” in Mastodon parlance), this article will help (thanks, Janet for finding it) — https://www.techhelpkb.com/schedule-a-mastodon-post/

Roundups of the December GalleyChat are below. To read the full chat, search Twitter by #ewgc.

This month, several titles come from the 17 members of the ALMA (Adult Library Marketing Association) book buzz held on Wednesday, Nov. 30th. Those titles are noted on the spreadsheet. See the video here.

— EarlyWord GalleyChat, Dec, 2022 — link to spreadsheet of the titles on Google Docs. Includes quotes from tweets, notes on debuts, diversity titles, those mentioned for the first time, LibraryReads deadlines and DRC availability. It also lists a few titles that are not in the Edelweiss catalog. NOTE: If you have any trouble downloading the spreadsheet, please let us know.

— Edelweiss catalog — includes covers, publisher marketing information, and links to Edelweiss DRCs.

Our next chat is scheduled for Thursday, Jan,  5th,  4 to 5 pm ET (3:30 for virtual cocktails).

The next LibraryReads deadline is Jan 1, for books publishing in February. Please give special attention to our list of upcoming diversity titles.

Roundups of the November GalleyChat are below. To read the full chat, search Twitter by #ewgc.

— EarlyWord GalleyChat, Nov, 2022 — link to spreadsheet of the titles on Google Docs. Includes quotes from tweets, notes on debuts, diversity titles, those mentioned for the first time, one title not listed on Edelweiss, LibraryReads deadlines and DRC availability. NOTE: If you have any trouble downloading the spreadsheet, please let us know.

— Edelweiss catalog — includes covers, publisher marketing information, and links to Edelweiss DRCs.

Our next chat is scheduled for Thursday, December 1st, 4 to 5 pm ET (3:30 for virtual cocktails).Click here for the schedule of upcoming GalleyChats.

The next LibraryReads deadline is December 1, for books publishing in January. Please give special attention to our list of upcoming diversity titles.

Roundups of the October GalleyChat are below. To read the full chat, search Twitter by #ewgc.

— EarlyWord GalleyChat, Oct, 2022 — link to spreadsheet of the titles on Google Docs. Includes quotes from tweets, notes on debuts, diversity titles, those mentioned for the first time, LibraryReads deadlines and DRC availability. It also lists a few titles that are not in the Edelweiss catalog. NOTE: If you have any trouble downloading the spreadsheet, please let us know.

— Edelweiss catalog — includes covers, publisher marketing information, and links to Edelweiss DRCs.

Our next chat is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 3rd,  4 to 5 pm ET (3:30 for virtual cocktails). Click here for the schedule of upcoming GalleyChats.

The next LibraryReads deadline is Nov. 1, for books publishing in December. Please give special attention to our list of upcoming diversity titles.

Roundups of the September GalleyChat are below. To read the full chat, search Twitter by #ewgc.

— EarlyWord GalleyChat, Sept, 2022 — link to spreadsheet of the titles on Google Docs. Includes quotes from tweets, notes on debuts, diversity titles, those mentioned for the first time, a few titles not listed on Edelweiss, LibraryReads deadlines and DRC availability. NOTE: If you have any trouble downloading the spreadsheet, please let us know.

— Edelweiss catalog — includes covers, publisher marketing information, and links to Edelweiss DRCs.

Our next chat is scheduled for Thursday, October 6th, 4 to 5 pm ET (3:30 for virtual cocktails).Click here for the schedule of upcoming GalleyChats.

The next LibraryReads deadline is October 1, for books publishing in November. Please give special attention to our list of upcoming diversity titles.

We returned to our usual fast pace in the August chat, with nearly 250 titles discussed.. Roundups are below. To read the full chat, search Twitter by #ewgc.

— EarlyWord GalleyChat, August, 2022 — link to spreadsheet of the titles on Google Docs. Includes quotes from tweets, notes on debuts, diversity titles, those mentioned for the first time, LibraryReads deadlines and DRC availability. It also lists a few titles that are not in the Edelweiss catalog. NOTE: If you have any trouble downloading the spreadsheet, please let us know.

— Edelweiss catalog — includes covers, publisher marketing information, and links to Edelweiss DRCs.

Our next chat is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 1st, 4 to 5 pm ET (3:30 for virtual cocktails). Click here for the schedule of upcoming GalleyChats.

The next LibraryReads deadline is Sept 1, for books publishing in October. Please give special attention to our list of upcoming diversity titles.

Roundups of the July GalleyChat are below. To read the full chat, search Twitter by #ewgc.

— EarlyWord GalleyChat, July, 2022 — link to spreadsheet of the titles on Google Docs. Includes quotes from tweets, notes on debuts, diversity titles, those mentioned for the first time, LibraryReads deadlines and DRC availability. NOTE: If you have any trouble downloading the spreadsheet, please let us know.

— Edelweiss catalog — includes covers, publisher marketing information, and links to Edelweiss DRCs.

Our next chat is scheduled for Thursday, August 4th, 4 to 5 pm ET (3:30 for virtual cocktails).Click here for the schedule of upcoming GalleyChats.

The next LibraryReads deadline is August 1, for books publishing in September. Please give special attention to our list of upcoming diversity titles.

We experienced some Twitter issues during the June chat. As a result, there were fewer titles than usual, around 170, down from a high of 250. We don’t know what happened, one of our GalleyChatters received a notice that posts were being held back for potentially “harmful content.” Maybe that proves what we’ve always thought, reading can be a dangerous activity. Roundups are below. To read the full chat, search Twitter by #ewgc.

— EarlyWord GalleyChat, June, 2022 — link to spreadsheet of the titles on Google Docs. Includes quotes from tweets, notes on debuts, diversity titles, those mentioned for the first time, LibraryReads deadlines and DRC availability. NOTE: If you have any trouble downloading the spreadsheet, please let us know.

— Edelweiss catalog — includes covers, publisher marketing information, and links to Edelweiss DRCs.

Our next chat is scheduled for Thursday, July 7th, 4 to 5 pm ET (3:30 for virtual cocktails).Click here for the schedule of upcoming GalleyChats.

The next LibraryReads deadline is July 1, for books publishing in August. Please give special attention to our list of upcoming diversity titles.

This month’s GalleyChat opened with the wonderful news that one of our founding Chatters, mystery maven Lesa Holstine had just returned from New York, where she accepted the Mystery Writers of America’s Raven Award, recognizing “outstanding achievement in the mystery field outside the realm of creative writing.”

In presenting the award, Alafair Burke, mastery writer and President of MWA, admitted, with apologies to fellow writers, that it’s her favorite category, because it recognizes “true champions…fueled by their passion for the genre,” She noted that, as speaker in a bookstore, “there is no better feeling” than to spot Lesa’s smiling face in the audience. In the event program, Louise Penny wrote, “Lesa has helped elevate crime writing, making it clear to all …that it is as legitimate, as exciting, as creative and bold a literary form as any other” and goes on to say, she is “the sort of person you want in your life. In your lifeboat.”

Since it began 1953, the Raven Award has gone to a wide range of people. Lesa joins previous winners Angela Lansbury (1988), Alfred Hitchcock (1960), the Muppet Show (1980) and just one other librarian, Dr. Paul LeClerc, President of NYPL (1995).

Live the excitement vicariously, via Lesa’s post on Lesa’s Book Critiques.

GalleyChat Title Roundups

Roundups are below. To read the full chat, search Twitter by #ewgc.

— EarlyWord GalleyChat, May, 2022 — link to spreadsheet of the titles on Google Docs. Includes quotes from tweets, notes on debuts, diversity titles, those mentioned for the first time, LibraryReads deadlines and DRC availability. NOTE: If you have any trouble downloading the spreadsheet, please let us know.

— Edelweiss catalog — includes covers, publisher marketing information, and links to Edelweiss DRCs.

Our next chat is Thursday 6/2/22, 4 to 5 pm ET (3:30 for virtual cocktails). Click here for the schedule of upcoming GalleyChats.

The next LibraryReads deadline is June 1, for titles publishing in July. Please give special attention to our list of upcoming diversity titles.

Virtual Author Events

May a big month for online author events. LJ’s virtual Day of Dialog was Thursday. View the replay by registering at the link. HarperCollins announced the next title in their influential Galleyclub series. All That’s Left Unsaid by Tracey Lien, described as an “unflinching debut following a young Vietnamese-Australian woman who returns home to her family in the wake of her brother’s shocking murder.”

Friday, May 13th from 1-2:30PM ET brings ReadingGroupGuides.com 11th Annual Book Group Speed Dating session.

The following Friday, May 20 is the Booklist Authors & ARCs webinar, followed the next week, May 23 to 26 by PW’s virtual U.S. Book Show (taking up where Book Expo left off). Registration is free to librarians.

Next month’s chat will be full of more discoveries.

The title pipeline is fairly gushing with books held back by lockdown. Our April chat featured an abundance of titles, over 250. Roundups are below. To read the full chat, search Twitter by #ewgc.

— EarlyWord GalleyChat, April, 2022 — link to spreadsheet of the titles on Google Docs. Includes quotes from tweets, notes on debuts, diversity titles, those mentioned for the first time, LibraryReads deadlines and DRC availability. NOTE: If you have any trouble downloading the spreadsheet, please let us know.

— Edelweiss catalog — includes covers, publisher marketing information, and links to Edelweiss DRCs.

Our next chat has been rescheduled from the usual first Thursday of the month, to Tuesday, May 3rd, 4 to 5 pm ET (3:30 for virtual cocktails), to avoid conflict with the day-long virtual LJ Day of Dialog. After that, we return to Thursdays. Click here for the schedule of upcoming GalleyChats.

The next LibraryReads deadline is May 1, for books publishing in June. Please give special attention to our list of upcoming diversity titles.

Remarkable Early Attention

In the Time of Our History
Susanne Pari
PRH/Random House/ Kensington/ A John Scognamiglio Book
December 27, 2022
9781496739261, 1496739264

It won’t be released until the end of the year, but this title is already heating up, with the front and back covers featuring quotes from librarians and GalleyChatters — Jennifer Dayton, “This wonderful novel is a poignant examination of what it means to be in exile, either from the country of one’s birth or of one’s own heart.”– Beth Mills. “A very moving story of dysfunctional family members struggling to satisfy the universal human longing for the love of family and a place that feels like home. These characters will stay with the reader after the last page is turned.” — Jennifer Winberry, “Explores the fierce women and their role as mothers and sisters, by blood or by choice, against a rich, cultural backdrop,”– Douglas Beatty, “In a work both timely and culturally relevant, this story of an Iranian American family struggling with grief will captivate readers with its nuanced characters and strong exploration of family dynamics …the roles of women in a changing society, and characters strain[ing] to find balance between a modern world and the traditional Moslem religion that is steeped in patriarchy.”

Library Love Fest GalleyClub a Hit Maker

Begun in February HarperCollins Library Love Fest’s new online series, Galley Club, is already creating hits. The program introduces librarians to a new title every month, through interviews with each book’s author, editors and others behind the book. All three titles that have been featured, including the one just announced for April, are getting GalleyChat raves.

The Measure
Nikki Erick
HarperCollins/Morrow
June 28, 2022
9780063204201, 0063204207
Hardcover

HOT, DEBUT — HarperCollins LibraryLoveFest GalleyClub selection for March — Vicki Nesting @VNesting, “…a gorgeous, gorgeous debut. The premise? One morning all adults worldwide receive a box containing a piece of string that shows the measure of their life. What happens next? This will definitely be on my ‘Best of 2022’ list.” —  Jenna Friebel @jenna_friebel, “…really thought provoking. Would be so good for book clubs. Julia Whelan does the audio and she’s the best.”

Hot Diversity for June

More Than You’ll Ever Know
Katie Gutierrez
HarperCollins/Morrow
June 7, 2022
9780063118454, 0063118459
Hardcover

DEBUT, HarperCollins LibraryLoveFest GalleyClub selection for April, and a Library Journal Prepub Alert pick — Jane Jorgenson @madpoptart, “Great mystery/suspenser,” — LJ Prepub Alert, “In 1985, Dolores ‘Lore’ Rivera marries Andres Russo in Mexico City, Mexico, despite her already being married …The truth finally comes out when one husband is arrested for murdering the other …”

Woman of Light
Kali Fajardo-Anstine
PRH/Random House/One World
June 7, 2022
9780525511328, 0525511326
Hardcover

Heating up, multiple “Much Love” on Edelweiss — Mara @mrlzbth, “…historical fiction primarily set in 1930s Denver about a tea leaf reader named Luz Lopez and the stories of five generations of her Indigenous Chicano family. Vivid characters and a really moving plot.” — Kimberly Mcgee @kimsbookstack, “… beautifully written historical fiction gem about lives and stories not usually told.”

The third chat of the new year rivaled the previous two, with nearly as many titles, over 210, some as far ahead as December. Roundups are below. To read the full chat, search Twitter by #ewgc.

— EarlyWord GalleyChat, March, 2022 — link to downloadable spreadsheet of the titles on Google Docs. Includes quotes from tweets, notes on debuts, diversity titles, those mentioned for the first time, LibraryReads deadlines and DRC availability. NOTE: If you have any trouble downloading the spreadsheet, please let us know

— Edelweiss catalog — includes covers, publisher marketing information, and links to Edelweiss DRCs.

Our next chat has been moved to the first Tuesday of the month, April 5th, 4 to 5 pm ET (3:30 for virtual cocktails), to avoid conflict with the day-long  PRH Spring Book Fest. Click here for the schedule of upcoming GalleyChats.

A Super Remarkable Debut

Remarkably Bright Creatures
Shelby Van Pelt
On Sale Date: May 3, 2022
9780063204157, 0063204150
Hardcover $27.99
Fiction / Literary

This debut is so hot, we had to create a new category for it,  “SUPER HOT.” Excitement has been growing on GalleyChat since it was first mentioned in November. The following is just a selection of the many accolades — Cari Dubiel @caridubiel, “A grieving woman in the twilight of her life bonds with a sentient octopus facing his own death. An unusual and moving story with great character development and voice.” — Vicki Nesting @VNesting, “The relationship between the aquarium’s custodian Tova and the octopus Marcellus is the heart of the story, but the cast of other quirky characters round things out nicely. The audiobook is exceptional.” — audio DRCs available on Edelweiss and NetGalley — Kimberly Mcgee @kimsbookstack, “My fave this year has been REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES. Who wouldn’t fall for a very wise octopus who escapes for sushi every night and guides the woman he bonded with. Everyone has to read this tearjerker big hearted story!”

It was the featured title in February on HarperCollins Library Love Fest’s new online series, Galley Club, which introduces librarians to a new title on the first three Tuesdays of each month, including interviews with each book’s editorial team as well as the authors themselves.

The March selection, which launches Tuesday, March 8,  is the debut The Measure by Nikki Erlick, releasing in June, described by GalleyChatter Janet Lockhart @HartGami, “Would you want to know exactly how long you have to live? That’s the question faced by the world in THE MEASURE by @nikkierlick. Still not sure what my answer would be.”

To learn about this and upcoming series, follow Library Love Fest on Facebook, or on the Library Love Fest web site.

Hot Diversity Titles for May 

The next LibraryReads deadline is April  1, for books publishing in May. Please give special attention to our list of diversity titles for LibraryReads consideration. Below are GalleyChatter favorites.

Yerba Buena
Nina LaCour
On Sale Date: May 31, 2022
9781250810465, 1250810469
Hardcover $26.99
Fiction / LGBTQ+ / Lesbian

HOT on GalleyChat, as well as multiple “Much Love” on Edelweiss — Jenna Friebel @jenna_friebel, “A for-sure-will-be-on-my-2022-favorites title…like Sally Rooney in terms of character study/ relationships focus, but with the sparse yet poetic prose” —  Carol Ann Tack @Carolanntack, “I read YERBA BUENA in two days and wished I hadn’t rushed through this remarkable story of love and family…it made my heart sing.”

A Caribbean Heiress in Paris 
Adriana Herrera
On Sale Date: May 31, 2022
9781335639844, 1335639845
Trade Paperback $16.99
Hardcover library edition, 9781335427519
Fiction / Romance / Multicultural & Interracial

HOT, JenniferSchultz @Jennsreads,  “A deliciously written Belle Epoque romance was just what I needed. The first paragraph is a master class in how to introduce character and setting. Such a treat. ” — Mara @mrlzbth, “…a fun romance about a woman from Santo Domingo who travels to Paris in 1889 looking for lucrative connections for her family’s rum business…but who of course finds love as well. The first in a planned series!”

Siren Queen
Nghi Vo
On Sale Date: May 10, 2022
9781250788832, 1250788838
Hardcover $26.99 USD
Fiction / Asian American

HOT on GalleyChat and multiple “Much Love” on Edelweiss — Ingram Library Services @TheLibraryLife_ “about young queer Chinese American wannabe starlet Luli & her story of navigating the treacherous, lecherous underworld of Golden Age Hollywood – full of actual monsters. ” — Mara @mrlzbth, “…a really dark and imaginative spin on the glamour of old Hollywood! I’ve been meaning to read her take on Gatsby from last year (THE CHOSEN AND THE BEAUTIFUL) and this definitely nudged me to do that soon.”

The Hacienda
Isabel Cañas
On Sale Date: May 3, 2022
9780593436691, 0593436695
Hardcover $27.00
Fiction / Gothic

Heating up — Michelle M @blkMYmorris. “I’m enjoying THE HACIENDA by Isabel Cañas. The historical setting, after the Mexican War of Independence is fresh setting for Gothic horror. It has malevolent spirits, a priest with a past, and touches on racism and classism.” — Jenna Friebel @jenna_friebel, “One of the books I’ve mentioned before but will not stop yelling about how much I loved.”  — Louisa @llws, “I am so excited for this book! I love, love, love her short fiction and the buzz for this book is so strong.” — Contributor Bio, “Isabel Cañas is a Mexican-American speculative fiction writer. After having lived in Mexico, Scotland, Egypt, and Turkey, among other places, she has settled (for now) in New York City, where she works on her PhD dissertation in medieval Islamic literature and writes fiction inspired by her research and her heritage.”