Reposted by Tajja IsenKristen Martin @kwistent.bsky.social · 41m“It’s not that people don’t want nonfiction,” the editor says. “They cannot afford a hardcover; they wait a year for the paperback they can afford, and then [it] never comes. What are they supposed to do?” (le sigh) 021
Tajja Isen @tajjaisen.bsky.social · 1h"Dozens of junior- and senior-level staff were then “voluntold” to become “AI Champions” and were tasked with discovering use cases in monthly brainstorming sessions with staff across the company." Incredible work by @adamm0rgan.bsky.social www.wired.com/story/book-p...wired.comBook Publishers Are Quietly Using More AI. Staff Are RevoltingWorkers at three major publishing houses tell WIRED that LLMs are being used for publicity, cover art, back cover copy, and emails, as some execs push junior staff to champion the tech. 161
Reposted by Tajja IsenRachel Kambury @rkambury.bsky.social · 2h"Without nonfiction being made available in formats within people’s means...the idea that the reading public has been zapped of its political energy begins to look, at a minimum, over-indexed. Maybe people aren’t tired of facts. Maybe they simply can’t afford them." @tajjaisen.bsky.social nails it 181
Reposted by Tajja IsenJoel Pinckney @jpinckney.bsky.social · 3hReally enjoyed this piece, which implicitly suggests another good reason to support small and university presses as much as you can: many of them are the ones willing and ready to take chances on nonfiction books that big five publishers are more than ever too scared to take on. 271
Reposted by Tajja IsenDominique Baker @bakerdphd.bsky.social · 3hOh. Lol my offline friends know I'm gonna need a fresh pot of tea to read this. 1367
Reposted by Tajja IsenMatt Gabriele @profgabriele.com · 3hthis is really good. and mirrors some of the self-defeating attitude I've heard myself 0111
Reposted by Tajja IsenNicole Chung @nicolechung.bsky.social · 6hLet's write together in 2027! If you're looking to jumpstart your memoir/essays project—or are already underway and want ongoing support to maintain momentum or figure out next steps—this @thewriterscenter.bsky.social workshop is for you. We'll meet twice a month starting in Feb. Learn more & apply:writer.orgMemoir Year w/ Nicole Chung - The Writer's CenterWork on your book with bestselling author Nicole Chung! This intensive workshop is open to writers working on a memoir, memoir-in-essays, or essay collection. You’ll have the opportunity to participat... 1144
Reposted by Tajja IsenTajja Isen @tajjaisen.bsky.social · 5hYou may have heard that nonfiction's having a rough time. I investigated for @thewalrus.ca. And it's very true, but not for the reasons you might think. thewalrus.ca/nonfiction-i... 24619
Reposted by Tajja IsenDrew Broussard @drewsof.bsky.social · 5hI got to talk to @tajjaisen.bsky.social for this piece! I just watched a man flinch as I told him that the price of Mark B. Smith's EXIT STALIN is $49.99! The timing is uncanny! (Here's hoping publishers are reading this and thinking about how to do something, anything, because NF *is* in trouble!) 042
Tajja Isen @tajjaisen.bsky.social · 5hYou may have heard that nonfiction's having a rough time. I investigated for @thewalrus.ca. And it's very true, but not for the reasons you might think. thewalrus.ca/nonfiction-i... 24619
Reposted by Tajja IsenNicole Chung @nicolechung.bsky.social · 02/10/20268 years of All You Can Ever Know 💙🌿 I treasure the conversations I’ve had (& still get to have) because of this book, and continue to be grateful to everyone who’s read it or shared it with others.bookshop.orgAll You Can Ever Know: A MemoirA NATIONAL BESTSELLERThis beloved memoir "is an extraordinary, honest, nuanced and compassionate look at adoption, race in America and families in general" (Jasmine Guillory, Code Switch, NPR)What doe... 48715
Reposted by Tajja IsenMaris Kreizman @maris.bsky.social · 01/10/2026I am a cynical person but I am pretty earnest when it comes to literary prizes. Books need all the help they can get these days, and prizes are one way for unheralded books to get their due. lithub.com/in-defense-o...lithub.comIn Defense of Literary Awards (and Longlists, and Shortlists)It’s awards nominations announcement season, which means it’s also snarky opinions about awards nominations season. I love a hot take as much as anyone, but the truth is I have been and remain flag… 16811
Reposted by Tajja IsenNicole Chung @nicolechung.bsky.social · 28/09/2026TOUGH LOVE is the best thing @tajjaisen.bsky.social has written—which, if you know Tajja and her work, is really saying something! I can't wait to reread and discuss it with EVERYONE!! 171
Tajja Isen @tajjaisen.bsky.social · 28/09/2026COVER REVEAL for my new book, TOUGH LOVE. It's a memoir about my habit of falling into intense, complicated relationships with domineering mentors (maybe you can relate?). Now available for preorder! US: www.simonandschuster.com/books/Tough-... Canada: www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/763573... 4225
Reposted by Tajja IsenMaris Kreizman @maris.bsky.social · 23/09/2026I did more literary positivity for the new Book Gossip newsletter. 515515
Reposted by Tajja IsenMichelle Cyca @michellecyca.com · 21/09/2026my kid came home with her Scholastic catalogue last week with a hopeful checkmark next to a vending machine-shaped eraser set (??) anyway for @thewalrus.ca I wrote about why it's bad & weird that our public school libraries rely on a corporation that directly advertises to children in the classroom 2275
Reposted by Tajja IsenAlexander Chee @alexanderchee.bsky.social · 16/09/2026I will just add that when I wrote about being Annie Dillard's student, I tried to rescue her class from being lost, as it were. Such as I could. I've taught a lot of what she taught me over the years and most of it has held up. 1219940
Reposted by Tajja IsenJoel Pinckney @jpinckney.bsky.social · 01/09/2026New one today for @defector.com: in the wake of the most recent declaration of reading's demise, I was curious what booksellers, almost always ignored by the post-literate prognosticators, made of such claims. Here's what they told me:defector.comWhat Do Booksellers Make Of “The End Of Reading”? | DefectorIf you haven’t yet encountered the cover story for the August issue of The Atlantic, I have some bad news to share: “The End of Reading Is Here.” It’s an intentionally provocative headline for a sligh... 1023480
Tajja Isen @tajjaisen.bsky.social · 18/08/2026I won't be paneling at AWP in 2027, but I will be there, with a very new book, and would love to join the lineup of any readings that folks are putting together! 030
Reposted by Tajja IsenJess Zimmerman @jesszimmerman.com · 11/08/2026I really wish I’d waited to publish this book until AFTER everyone got big into Greek myths but you can’t fault my trendspottingpenguinrandomhouse.comWomen and Other Monsters by Jess Zimmerman: 9780807055540 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: BooksA fresh cultural analysis of female monsters from Greek mythology, and an invitation for all women to reclaim these stories as inspiration for a more wild, more “monstrous” version of feminism... 727163
Tajja Isen @tajjaisen.bsky.social · 23/07/2026Given all the piss and shit inside the Trojan Horse, it's weird they made it into a popcorn bucket 141
Tajja Isen @tajjaisen.bsky.social · 21/07/2026I'm planning a short class that I'm teaching at the Sewanee Writers' Conference this week, and it's reminding me how much I love to be in the classroom and wanna do it so much more than I get to!!! 040
Reposted by Tajja IsenJess Zimmerman @jesszimmerman.com · 18/07/2026Being brave and reposting praise because I do need clients/a job 😅 (thank you Lindsay ilu)jesszimmerman.comEditingI was formerly an editor at Quirk Books (2021–2025), specializing in gift and lifestyle nonfiction as well as genre fiction, and the editor-in-chief of Electric Literature (2017–2021),... 13211
Reposted by Tajja IsenJess Zimmerman @jesszimmerman.com · 15/07/2026If I hear someone say “meeting in Bronx” I will kick them in nuts 871742204
Reposted by Tajja IsenTajja Isen @tajjaisen.bsky.social · 14/07/2026I reviewed Julie Buntin's FAMOUS MEN for @defector.com—a delicious, thorny novel that read me right back. Many thanks to @brandyjensen.bsky.social for edits and for bringing more book reviews into the world! defector.com/famous-men-a...defector.com‘Famous Men’ And Ambitious Women | DefectorIs there a story writers love to tell more than the one about how we became ourselves? Give me all of them: Your künstlerromans, your campus novels, your NYCs, your MFAs. I didn’t go to Iowa, but I’ve... 0193
Reposted by Tajja IsenJaime Green @jaimealyse.bsky.social · 14/07/2026god this is such good writing @tajjaisen.bsky.social 152
Reposted by Tajja IsenDrew Broussard @drewsof.bsky.social · 14/07/2026great review of a great book! 141
Tajja Isen @tajjaisen.bsky.social · 14/07/2026feeling almost unbearably seen by these tags defector.com/famous-men-a... 010
Tajja Isen @tajjaisen.bsky.social · 14/07/2026I reviewed Julie Buntin's FAMOUS MEN for @defector.com—a delicious, thorny novel that read me right back. Many thanks to @brandyjensen.bsky.social for edits and for bringing more book reviews into the world! defector.com/famous-men-a...defector.com‘Famous Men’ And Ambitious Women | DefectorIs there a story writers love to tell more than the one about how we became ourselves? Give me all of them: Your künstlerromans, your campus novels, your NYCs, your MFAs. I didn’t go to Iowa, but I’ve... 0193
Reposted by Tajja IsenBrandy Jensen @brandyjensen.bsky.social · 14/07/2026really great work here from @tajjaisen.bsky.socialdefector.com‘Famous Men’ And Ambitious Women | DefectorIs there a story writers love to tell more than the one about how we became ourselves? Give me all of them: Your künstlerromans, your campus novels, your NYCs, your MFAs. I didn’t go to Iowa, but I’ve... 0325
Reposted by Tajja IsenLaura McGrath @lbmcgrath.bsky.social · 13/07/2026One of my favorite games while I waited for publication was imagining which celebrities should narrate which chapter/agent in my book. 🧵 1144
Reposted by Tajja Isenrax ‘levon honkers’ king @raxkingisdead.bsky.social · 10/07/2026seven years ago catapult published my essay Love Peace and Taco Grease and changed my life ✨ magazine.catapult.co/people/stori... 924730
Reposted by Tajja IsenMichelle Cyca @michellecyca.com · 11/06/2026if readers take the time to email me at @thenarwhal.ca, I take the time to reply 💕 4856
Tajja Isen @tajjaisen.bsky.social · 04/06/2026"If I have to do a day job that's not writing, I want to make a lot more money. And I just want to be frank about that." This is so good, and so infuriating: www.talkscratch.com/colette-shad...talkscratch.comColette Shade on Y2K and the Limits of a Millennial Writing Career: The Scratch Interview“In order to have a society — frankly, a democracy — we have to have these areas that are protected from the market.” 151
Tajja Isen @tajjaisen.bsky.social · 26/05/2026Surprised to see this piece having a divisive life—I read the book, was confused about the finances, and this piece clarified exactly what didn't make sense to me. www.newyorker.com/books/page-t...newyorker.comWhat’s Missing from Belle Burden’s Best-Selling Memoir, “Strangers”Belle Burden’s “Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage” tells the story of her divorce and resulting financial imperilment. A review of court documents complicates her narrative. 030
Tajja Isen @tajjaisen.bsky.social · 20/05/2026Love this, and it's relevant to some uh news I'll have soon: hyperallergic.com/the-painted-...hyperallergic.comThe Painted Book Cover Is BackThe recent shift toward figuration on book covers may reflect a broader desire for physical presence — proof of the artist’s hand in the digital age. 0243
Reposted by Tajja IsenHelena Fitzgerald @hellafitzgerald.bsky.social · 19/05/2026if anyone has a useful link for how to turn these features off as comprehensively and as permanently as possible, I think that would be a great resource to share for people like me who have minimal technical knowledge in this field but do have a massive amount of their work stored in google docs 27226
Reposted by Tajja IsenPhillip Maciak @pjmaciak.bsky.social · 13/05/2026WIDOW'S BAY is Matthew Rhys' best performance since The Americans. Creator Katie Dippold knows exactly how to use him, and how to do everything else, too, it seems. I wrote about the best new show of the year: newrepublic.com/article/2100...newrepublic.comWidow’s Bay Is a Menacing and Hilarious Mash-upAt a time when much TV recycles familiar formulas, the Apple TV series feels like something new. 6505
Tajja Isen @tajjaisen.bsky.social · 13/05/2026Really feeling the culture-industry churn of "do more with less" this week. Exhausting, disheartening, unsustainable and yet somehow still going. 021
Reposted by Tajja IsenMatt Bell @mdbell79.bsky.social · 06/05/2026I’m so thrilled to share the news that my new novel PENITENT will be published by @doubledaybooks.bsky.social, with Thomas Gebremedhin editing! Thanks as always to my agent Kirby Kim for his wise advice and for finding my book its best possible home. Coming Spring 2028! I can't wait. 8841636
Reposted by Tajja IsenPhillip Maciak @pjmaciak.bsky.social · 06/05/2026We need to talk about the fact that the nonfiction stacks at Barnes & Noble are no longer alphabetized. I went in today to find a book that I knew was in stock.The bookseller and I walked around the store for 15 min before we found it. I've done some digging, this is on purpose.... 1/x 23511
Reposted by Tajja IsenAdrienne Celt @celtadri.bsky.social · 04/05/2026I have a new story up @electricliterature.com about art, childbirth, and being the mouth of the world. Grateful to have been edited by Halimah Marcus one more time! electricliterature.com/oh-no-by-adr...electricliterature.comA New Mother Hungry for the World on Her Plate - Electric Literature“Oh No” by Adrienne Celt, recommended by Halimah Marcus for Electric Literature 3124
Reposted by Tajja IsenRachel Kambury @rkambury.bsky.social · 04/05/2026amidst all the doom and gloom re: the state of nonfiction, the morale boost I get seeing great books published by great colleagues win big can’t be understated 181
Reposted by Tajja IsenThe Walrus @thewalrus.ca · 01/05/2026The Walrus has earned twenty-five nominations at this year’s National Magazine Awards, a remarkable honour that speaks to the strength and range of our journalism, art, and client work. Congratulations to all of the nominees! thewalrus.ca/the-walrus-leads-natio… 0286