How do publishers describe the first novels they will be releasing this spring and summer? "Amazing," "fabulous," and "unique" are words that pop up frequently, though hats off to one publicist forthright or cheeky enough to call a work "weird Western/horror." The proof of such praise is in the reading, but why not check out this preview of first…

Thousands of novels are published each year, some of them debuts that promise to be fresh, fun, and maybe even the work of the next John Grisham or Marcel Proust. This article lists a wide-ranging selection of forthcoming first novels grouped by genre, with a listing of the author's state or country for programming purposes. The best of last…

Murder and magic, illicit love and puppy love, home-grown tragedy and the ravages of far-off war. No one topic defines a first novel, and, no, they are not all autobiographical. Among last season's top debuts, published from August through December 2007, are Ellen Litman's cross-format "The Last Chicken in America: A Novel in Stories" and genre…

This article describes the highlights of this year's BookExpo America (BEA) held at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The attendees at BEA had not minded that the air was recycled, the lighting was fluorescent, and the food was bad. The first hot book sighting came courtesy of Anne Rice. Michelle Moran, author of newly published novel, "The…

Everybody has a story to tell, but not everybody can tell it well, which it why some first novels jump to the best sellers lists and others fade away. This year's crop of successful first novelists come from all walks of life--there's journalist Vanora Bennett and historian Alison Weir, dance critic Anita Amirrezvani, and financial analyst manque…