Authors Guild, Booksellers Association Partner to Promote Emerging Writers

Next month, some of the best up-and-coming indie authors are going to be getting a lot of extra notice—with the help of a couple of associations.

Earlier this month, the American Booksellers Association (ABA) and the Authors Guild announced a new collaboration to help promote new writers with fresh voices.

It’s an extension of ABA’s Indies Introduce  (opens in a new tab) program, in which an independent panel selects authors to highlight twice each year. Now, with the new collaboration, ABA has a partner to help put on events to showcase them.

“ABA is pleased to be partnering with the Authors Guild to bring greater attention to debut writers,” ABA Senior Program Officer Joy Dallanegra-Sanger said in a news release  (opens in a new tab). “Through the Indies Introduce program, now in its fifth year, independent booksellers have identified many unique, new talents. We look forward to watching the program grow in scope and awareness through the events planned with help from the Authors Guild.”

Among the Indies Introduce authors being featured this fall are Nic Stone, Margaret Wilkerson Sexton, and Karina Yan Glaser. The authors will appear at events—which will include conversation and a book signing—with established authors such as Angie Thomas, Esmé Weijun Wang, and Rachel Vail.

Authors Guild Executive Director Mary Rasenberger notes that this mixture of new and established authors is no accident.

“Events pairing debut and established authors are especially important today, as the world of traditional publishing continues to contract and creative work is devalued online,” Rasenberger said in the release. “Writers need each other more than ever. And it begins with those just starting out in their careers.”

The events—at New York City’s Bank Street Books; Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, Georgia; and Book Passage in Corte Madera, California—will be held in late October.

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