Here are a few of the newer and notable entries on the Hidden Gems list, which attempts to surface bestselling books outside the biggest publishers:
- The Sick Man’s Rage: A Nir Tavor Mossad Thriller by Amir Tsarfati and Steve Yohn is a self-published Christian thriller, fourth in a series. Tsarfati is a native Israeli and former major in the Israeli Defense Forces; Yohn is a former pastor living in the US. The first in the series was released in 2021.
- The Muscle Ladder: Get Jacked Using Science by Jeff Nippard was published just in time for new year’s resolutions. It’s a full-color hardcover that retails for $60. The Canadian author has a YouTube channel with millions of subscribers; the publisher, Victory Belt Publishing, appears to be a hybrid publisher founded in 2006 by an author.
- Your Guide to Cellular Health: Unlocking the Science of Longevity and Joy by Dr. Mercola is the latest from the controversial doctor. It’s from his own publishing operation, Joy House, distributed by Simon & Schuster. (The company also appears to operate as a hybrid but only publishes Mercola so far.)
- A book of poetry appears in the number-34 spot: If I Must Die: Poetry and Prose by Refaat Alareer, published by the small press OR Books. The author is a Palestinian poet and professor who died in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza in December 2023.
View the full December 2024 lists here.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
