Five top novels that reveal publishing world secrets

Jeff Somers is the author of We Are Not Good People, the Avery Cates series, Lifers, and Chum. He has published over thirty short stories, including “Ringing the Changes,” which appeared in the Best American Mystery Stories 2006 anthology. One of his five favorite novels that reveal publishing world secrets, as shared at the B&N Reads blog:

Three-Martini Lunch, by Suzanne Rindell

Set in the vibrant, Beatnik-infused world of 1950s New York and San Francisco, this is the story of three people with intense literary ambitions. Cliff sees himself as a bold novelist, but enjoys living the lifestyle more than actually writing. Eden wants to shed her Midwest Nice and become Holly Golightly, seeking a job as an editor but finding a secretarial position—and Cliff—instead. And Miles, black and gay in the 1950s, struggles to find inspiration for his own writing. As the three characters’ lives become increasingly intertwined, the bygone era of midcentury New York publishing is explored to fascinating effect, detailing the often unspoken price of pursuing literary dreams.

Read about the other entries on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue