2024 MacArthur “Genius” Winners Announced

Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.

Meet the 2024 MacArthur Fellows

Whoever shadow-coined the MacArthur a “genius” grant should themselves get one. Secretive, wide-ranging, lucrative, and the at this point the you-cant-buy-it adjective, coveted: the MacArthur is probably only the second most prestigious award thinker/writer/scientist/artist can get behind the Nobel. This year’s crop is as fascinating and envy-inducing as ever (here is a pro-tip: if you can’t get yourself off social media, add as many of these people as you can find to your follows. thank me later). We did a little literary sub-roundup of the honorees on Book Riot as well.

Macmillan Launches Limited Editions Brand, Fablelistik Editions

Good idea, TERRIBLE name. I linked to a piece recently on the great run of success The Folio Society has enjoyed/earned as of late, and I wonder how much this new effort by Macmillan was inspired by it (and OwlCrate and other places where high cost & production value books are the main attraction). I think it makes a ton of sense: just as publishers have brought more and more audiobook production in house to capture the margin there, printing and selling expensive and profitable editions is something a publisher could absolutely do well. The initial project here, three different edition of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, is telling as well: public domain, high-recognition, and segmented by price, with a super-limited edition of 26 copies going for almost four grand. They are, I suppose, hoping a couple of dozen people……lose their heads over this.

Fifth Installment in Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club Series To Be Published in September 2025

We are on the “Richard Osman is now a household name at least in books” countdown clock. The first book in his new series, We Solve Murders, debuted at #2 on NPD Bookscan’s Hardcover Fiction list this week, suggesting that Osman could soon have two series that regularly start at the top of those lists. I expect the upcoming TV adaptation of The Thursday Murder Cub to be fun and popular and get even more folks onboard. Been awhile since we minted a new AAA genre-seller.

The It Books of October

Rebecca and I saddled up to pick the It Book of October, after narrowly-avoiding not picking Intermezzo in September episode. Whew.