Houghton Mifflin: 400 pages, $26
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Mateo Askaripour is not trying to be divisive when he says his debut novel, “Black Buck,” was written just for Black readers, though white readers are welcome to “come along for the ride.” And he isn’t being flippant when he says he hopes his tale of a Black man swept up in startup mania can teach his readers how to succeed in sales.
The book’s 20-something narrator, Darren, graduated as valedictorian from one of New York’s top high schools, only to tamp down his ambitions. He’s been playing it safe in Brooklyn, contenting himself with his Ma, his girlfriend and a modest managerial job at Starbucks. Then he is seduced into the world of sales hired to persuade corporations to enlist in emotional and spiritual support services from a shiny new startup called Sumwun.
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Last modified on Wed 16 Dec 2020 03.02 EST
Six months ago, independent publishers Jacaranda and Knights Of were warning publicly that their income had fallen to almost zero. They werenât the only small publishers struggling. With bookshops and distributors closing, a survey from the Bookseller at the time found that almost 60% of small publishers feared closure by the autumn. No bookshops meant no knowledgeable, passionate booksellers pressing new books they loved on to customers; no events and no travel meant that crucial avenues for introducing new writers had disappeared.
The stars had been looking very happily aligned for Oneworld in March. The independent publisher had three of its biggest books scheduled for the month â a novel from Womenâs prize winner Tayari Jones, Silver Sparrow; a new thriller from the bestselling crime author Will Dean, Black River; and Damien Loveâs novel for older children, Monstrous Devices. It had printed point-of-sale materials,