Sloane Crosley

1 month ago | airmail.news | Sloane Crosley

When I worked in book publicity, my boss liked to trot out the following fun fact, though I suppose it depends on your definitions of “fun” and “fact”: the reason hardcovers sell well in L.A. and paperbacks don’t is because no one in L.A. is reading the books. At best, they’re wondering if they can be optioned. At worst, they’re lining their untouched bookshelves. True or not (in my experience, not), this theory always made me laugh, because it bolstered our sense of ourselves as underdogs.

2 months ago | lithub.com | Sloane Crosley

Many years ago, right before I quit my job as a book publicist, a coworker knocked on my office door and asked me if I wanted to accompany her to a reading. Stressed, distracted and with one tote bag out the door, I didn’t have the bandwidth to formulate a remorseful reply. “Oh, I would,” I said, breaking a manic typing streak, “but I don’t want to.” A pure response tends to get a laugh. So does a rare one: Honesty may be the backbone of effective book publicity but succinctness is not.

Mar 3, 2025 | lithub.com | Sloane Crosley

Many years ago, right before I quit my job as a book publicist, a coworker knocked on my office door and asked me if I wanted to accompany her to a reading. Stressed, distracted and with one tote bag out the door, I didn’t have the bandwidth to formulate a remorseful reply. “Oh, I would,” I said, breaking a manic typing streak, “but I don’t want to.” A pure response tends to get a laugh. So does a rare one: Honesty may be the backbone of effective book publicity but succinctness is not.

Dec 29, 2024 | nytimes.com | Sloane Crosley

We'd better start learning. In 2022, the last year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published finalized statistics for suicides, over 49,000 Americans died by their own hand, an uptick from over 48,100 of these deaths in 2021. Statistics tend to create a distancing effect, especially when it comes to suicide. Halve the number or double it, and you would still be reading this, wondering: Is that a lot or a little? What does it have to do with my person, my loss?

Nov 13, 2024 | time.com | Meg Zukin |Sloane Crosley

These are independent reviews of the products mentioned, but TIME receives a commission when purchases are made through affiliate links at no additional cost to the purchaser. By Meg ZukinNovember 13, 2024 8:07 AM ESTIn 2019, Sloane Crosley’s home was burglarized. On a nondescript afternoon, a robber broke into her New York City apartment and stole all her jewelry—41 pieces, including her grandmother’s vivid green cocktail ring.