3 Popular Book Themes in Publishing Today

3 Popular Book Themes in Publishing Today

by Kathryn Starke

As a literacy specialist, I love being a book matchmaker for elementary school readers. When a child is matched with their “next best book to read,” both reading engagement and reading comprehension increase because the title closely matches the interests and background of the reader. That’s why choice is so important when it comes to book selection. There are three themes that are currently populating our bookstores and libraries around the country.

Everyone loves a feel-good story. Life lessons around kindness, family, and friendship leave a positive impression on readers of all ages. The Good News Movement and The Know Newsletter are two popular media sources that solely focus on sharing hopeful and inspiring stories. Even major news outlets include a regular segment to highlight random acts of kindness or motivational stories from everyday citizens because they make us feel good.

Author Laura Jacobson of Virginia Beach, Virginia, teamed up with New York best-selling author and illustrator Michael Garland to create her debut children’s picture book and feel-good story. The Boy with the Magic Thumb tells the story of a young boy who relies on his thumb in overwhelming situations. He learns to find his own inner strength and confidence and realizes that the magic inside him is not just in his thumb. Since 70-90% of children suck their thumbs, this children’s picture book shares a life lesson that supports a large number of readers. Books are the best tools to teach lessons and discuss relatable themes in school and at home.

Overcoming obstacles, whether it is in a memoir, children’s picture book, or fictional novel, is another popular theme people look for in a terrific book. An obstacle could be a disability, a bias, or a problem that needs solving. Author Andrew Maraniss, a New York Times-bestselling author, of Brentwood, Tennessee, writes powerful sports stories that highlight professional athletes and sporting events throughout history. Andrew Maraniss beautifully creates narrative nonfiction for teens and adults that focuses on the intersection of sports and social justice.

Women’s fiction is the popular theme that has sparked more book clubs and romance bookstores around the country. Female protagonists and female driven storytelling give women the opportunity to see themselves and their best friends in text and engage in conversation. Many women’s fiction novels include guiding reading questions to support such dialogues. Bestselling author Jennifer Moorman is an excellent example of a successful women’s fiction author from the south. She is published by Harper Muse, which places an emphasis on women’s fiction and Southern fiction. Her book, The Magic All Around, is a magical realism novel that introduces readers to the Russell women in Georgia, Moorman’s childhood home.

What’s the last book you read that left a positive impact, a memorable female character, or a serious obstacle that had to be overcome? These three elements are evident in books ranging from children’s picture books to adult literature. As the founder and CEO of a publishing company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, these are three themes we are always interested in publishing. So, what’s the next best book you can recommend for a friend this season? And, what’s the next book you are going to write?

Kathryn Starke:
Creative Minds Publications Launches New Publishing Services
Aug 14, 2024

Creative Minds Publications, the Richmond, Va.–based publishing and literacy consulting company, has launched three new divisions to publish original titles.

The first, a hybrid publishing arm, is now open for agented and unagented manuscript submissions in the following categories: children’s, YA, education, parenting, self-help, spiritual, memoir, historical fiction, sports, politics, business, leadership, and select women’s contemporary fiction.

The second, a self-publishing consulting arm, provides consulting services for self-published authors about writing, editing, designing, printing, distributing, and marketing their book. The third division, called Your Business, Your Brand, Your Story, offers ghostwriting services.

“Everyone has a story to tell, and we want to help everyone bring their story to life," said founder Kathryn Starke, in a statement. "We aren’t looking for a particular celebrity writer, a person with a huge following, or an individual with a perfectly curated social media presence. We are simply looking for great stories.”


We are an award-winning independent publishing and literacy consulting company, headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, that helps teach the world to read. We motivate children, support parents, and inspire fellow educators and readers of all ages to feel more confident and competent in reading and writing. We invite you to share your story with us or request a literacy consultation for your school community. Email us today at info@creativemindspublications.com

Ever Read A Social Work Mystery Book?

Hello! My name is Margaret Fenton, and I write the “Little” social work mystery series. I am happy to be here and to talk about my writing. My books feature Claire Conover, a child welfare social worker at the fictional Jefferson County Department of Human Services in Birmingham, Alabama. She investigates crimes against children, or, in some cases, crimes adjacent to children.

The hardest part about writing this series is deciding what to put in it. Child abuse and
death is not something that most people feel comfortable reading about for entertainment, so details need to be carefully chosen so they don’t offend the reader. After all, I write mystery, not horror. I start each book with the crime and the villain, and then decide how Claire gets involved to solve the mystery. My main goal in starting this series was to paint a picture of what child welfare social workers really do all day. I used to work with them when I was the mental health consultant for the real-life Jefferson County, Alabama DHR. Nothing I write is based on any real case, for that would be completely unethical. However, I am a good example of “write what you know”, which is always a good place to start.

Social workers investigate all kinds of situations that affect children. This includes abuse
and neglect, of course, but also can include families who just need appropriate resources in the moment. The whole goal is to prevent the child or children from coming into State care. All of the social workers I met in my previous career were dedicated and talented people who devoted themselves to the safety and care of children. I tried to create a character who reflected those values.

I hope you’ll check out my series, which begins with Little Lamb Lost. Claire gets to
work one day and one of her young clients is dead. The police arrest the mother and are
convinced she is guilty, but Claire knows that is not true and is compelled to investigate. Little Girl Gone is next, when Claire meets a thirteen-year-old girl who is sleeping behind a grocery store. She is placed in foster care, then disappears. Her mother is later found dead and Claire must find out what happened. In book three, Little White Lies, there is a bombing at a mayoral candidate’s office and a man is killed. He has a young daughter who becomes Claire’s charge and she gets drawn into another mystery. And that leads us to Little Boy Blue, when Claire’s recent boyfriend is accused of child abuse by an ex-employee. Claire does what she does best, and sets out to prove his innocence.

Margaret Fenton writes the Little mystery series featuring child welfare social
worker Claire Conover, published by Aakenbaaken and Kent. She spent nearly ten
years as a child and family therapist for her county’s child welfare department
before focusing on writing. She has been a planning coordinator of Murder in the
Magic City in Birmingham, Alabama since its inception in February 2003
(mmcmysteryconference.com). Margaret lives in the Birmingham suburb of
Hoover with her husband, a retired software developer, three adorable Papillon
dogs, and lots and lots of books. Her website is margaretfenton.com and she loves
to hear from readers.

Books in Print:

Little Lamb Lost
Little Girl Gone
Little White Lies
Little Boy Blue

A Fall at Ford's Theatre

Allen Boyer's new book, this year, in the Dupree Sisters series ia titled a Fall at Ford's Theatre.

Allen said, "The Dupree Sisters are the two oldest socialites in Washington DC. They're also quite good at using their social connections to solve mysteries. In this post I will share information on the research I do in writing one of my Dupree Sisters books. Famous landmarks, local restaurants and famous presidential quotes are just some of the elements in each book that requires a good amount of research. I find that the research, like icing on a cake, really enhances the experience for the reader."

When a body drops from a balcony at Ford’s Theatre, rumors begin to fly. Did she jump? Was she pushed? Was it intentional or an accident? To find the truth, Charlotte and Ruth Dupree have to go back decades to a mystery at the oldest girls school in Washington DC. A school that they both attended. A school with a tragic secret from their past. From the majestic setting of Ford’s Theater to the hallowed halls of the Library of Congress, join the Dupree Sisters as they employ their usual charm and wit to untangle the mystery around A Fall at Ford’s Theatre.

THE VALUE OF DETAILS

I have been writing fiction for more than twenty years. I’ve been quite lucky to find so much success and have such a broad readership. When I write a story, I try to think about what kind of story I would like to read. Fortunately, this perspective has helped me write my books.



One thing I’ve always enjoyed as a reader is being able to learn something when I read. Maybe it’s because I’m a retired teacher, but when I pick up a book, I like a good story, but I also like to learn a few interesting facts along the way. For the readers of my Dupree Sisters Mystery Series, I can sense we have this in common.



Set in Washington DC, my Dupree Sisters Mystery Series centers on two of Washington’s oldest socialists, Charlotte and Ruth Dupree. They have never been married, live in the home they were raised in and circulate through Washington’s social circles. In each book in the series, they use their social connections to solve mysteries.



In addition to enjoying a good mystery, readers of this series have told me more than once that they enjoy learning interesting facts about Washington DC when they read these books. As a writer, I find it helpful to know what this particular readership expects from this series, which is a good mystery and has interesting facts.

The fourth book in this series, A Fall at Ford’s Theatre, was just released. It took me a year to write. In addition to the plot and characters, there was a good deal of online research I did to provide readers with facts about Washington DC. Going to websites to read articles. Watching videos that provided tours of buildings. Pictures of interiors of buildings. Needless to say, it was tedious work, but that was only half of the process. The other half of this process was how to incorporate facts into the story.


One way I used the facts I found was to enhance a setting for readers. For example, when I began this book, I had an image in my head of a body falling from a balcony at Ford’s Theatre. All I knew about Ford’s theater was that it was where President Lincoln was shot. When I did some research, I was fascinated to learn how the theater had actually been shut down after Lincoln’s assassination. When it reopened in 1932, it was turned into a museum. Eventually, the theater opened in 1968. Gerald Ford would become the first president to attend a show there since Lincoln. All good facts that I was able to use in the opening chapters.


Along with Ford’s Theatre, I also did similar research into the Library of Congress. The facts I found allowed me to write in great detail about the appearance of the inside of the building. These facts helped to immerse the reader in the setting. This was especially true for the Great Hall and the Main Reading Room, two of the massive chambers in the Library of Congress. I think details of a setting really enhance the experience for the reader.


In addition to Ford’s Theatre and the Library of Congress, I also dug up some historical facts about Georgetown Preparatory Visitation School, the oldest girls school in Washington DC. I was able to incorporate facts about the history of the school into dialogue during a scene between one of the Dupree sisters and her goddaughter. Using facts this way not only educates the reader, but it allows the characters to share their perspective on something.


In addition to doing research on well-known places, I also did research on a few restaurants where scenes take place. The Monocle is known in Washington as a restaurant where Republican and Democratic legislatures come to dine. The establishment is close to the House of Representatives and the Senate. Inside The Monocle there is a wall filled with framed photos of famous senators, judges and representatives who were patrons from years gone by. Another nice touch, famous political quotes painted on the exposed beams of the dining areas. These details are shared with readers through dialogue when the main characters go to The Monocle for lunch.


Another location I researched was The City Tavern Club. This place is best known as the tavern where John Adams stayed when he would visit Washington DC to check on its construction. I have a scene with the Dupree Sisters attending a fundraiser at this location. While I didn’t do a lot with the details of it, the history again gave my characters some interesting dialogue to share these facts.


While setting and description are one way of establishing a scene, factual details can raise the level of writing for readers. Whether they are used in dialogue, or used to enhance a setting, or used to add dimension to a character, interesting facts will give readers an added level of pleasure. My wife loves to read and often says she loves to come home from work and “get lost” in a good book. Taking the time to research a place or an event, and to find some interesting facts, is the best way to help a reader get lost in a story.

Allen B. Boyer lives near a retirement home that he visits with his dog, Luna. He is the author of three cozy mystery series including the Bess Bullock Retirement Home Series, the Dupree Sisters Mystery Series and the August Summerfield Series.

Happy Labor Day