Libby Page is the internationally bestselling author of six novels. She is also a writing coach at The Novelry, where she mentors writers through the process of writing their own novels. Before writing her debut novel, The Lido (published as Mornings with Rosemary in the US), she worked as a journalist and in marketing. She lives in Somerset, England.
In This Book Made Me Think of You, Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there’s a birthday gift from her husband waiting for her at her local bookshop, and it couldn’t come as more of a shock—he died five months ago. When she goes to pick up the present, Alfie, the bookshop owner with kind eyes, explains the gift—12 carefully chosen books with handwritten letters from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him. Monthly trips to the bookstore—and heartfelt conversations with Alfie—give Tilly the comfort she craves and the courage to set out on a series of reading-inspired adventures that take her around the world.
When asked what contributed to the book landing on the USA Today bestseller list, Page said: “Publishing a novel and making it a bestseller is an enormous team effort. The team at Berkley has done such a fantastic job right from the beginning. … There wasn’t just one passionate champion on the team—instead, it felt like the entire company understood the book and saw its potential. I think that makes a big difference.”
One particularly important piece of Berkley’s support was getting the book out early and getting creative about presentation. “They designed a truly beautiful influencer box that tied in so perfectly with the book and had gorgeous details like a sticker of the bookstore featured in the book and a quote card featuring the opening line of the book.” The cover offered an inviting sense of the book’s tone, and the story’s spotlight on book lovers and independent book shops didn’t hurt.
Though Page’s debut was a UK and Germany bestseller, her UK sales plateaued prior to This Book Made Me Think of You. Page set out to study bestsellers to learn what could help her reach a wider audience, and she identified two elements of note: a strong and easily pitchable hook and a strong emotional pull. “If you want to write a bestseller, you need to read bestsellers,” she said. “If you can find the sweet spot where you are writing from the heart whilst also paying attention to the commercial potential of your book, then I think that can make for a pretty winning combination.”
E. J. Wenstrom believes in complicated heroes, horrifying monsters, purple hair dye and standing to the right on escalators so the left side can walk. She writes dark speculative fiction for adults and teens, including her new release, a young adult dystopian novel titled Departures (August 10, 2021). When she isn’t writing fiction, E. J. Wenstrom is a regular contributor to DIY MFA and BookRiot, and co-hosts the Fantasy+Girl Podcast. Learn more at her website.
