Finding North: May 2024
Want to join a read-along? 📚
Note: The recording above is a reading of this newsletter — there’s no different content, and it’s not produced, so you’ll hear the occasional stumble, or sounds of daily life in the background. If you’re someone who needs or prefers to hear their news, then I hope it’s helpful.
Hi there! I’m Amie Kaufman, NYT and internationally bestselling author of The Isles of the Gods, Illuminae, Aurora Rising, These Broken Stars, and many more books besides. This newsletter is the place to learn about my latest releases or events, and to follow along behind the scenes as I find my way through writing, and through life.
Hi, my friends.
May is upon us, and it’s a month I’ve been looking forward to! May is full of exciting stuff — the US paperback of The Isles of the Gods is out today (today!!) and I have a bunch of great events planned — read on for all the details, plus a chance to win an annotated copy of Isles.
I also wanted to let you know that for the first time, These Broken Stars is available in the US on Kindle Unlimited. We like to describe this book as Titanic in Space — only they get shipwrecked on the island from Lost. If it came out today, we’d probably pitch it as ‘Romantasy, but make it outer space.’
These Broken Stars has just turned ten, and I’m as proud of it now as I was the day it came out. If you’ve been meaning to pick up another of my books, this is your moment!
What I’ve Been Up To
There’s always a danger in going back to your own stories. They say you can’t go home again — that nostalgia, and the way our experiences change us, means that even if we return to just the place we were before, it’ll be different.
When I wrote The Isles of the Gods, I was a particular person, in a particular place, at a particular time. That’s true for all of my books. They’re a time capsule of who I was at that moment, and I can see that version of myself in the pages.
In a weird spacetime twist worthy of my best science fiction, those books are also a time capsule for you — when you picked them up and read them, you were a particular version of yourself, in a time, in a place, and you were different to who you are now. Neither of us can get back to who we were — the version of me who told that story to the version of you.
The US paperback of The Isles of the Gods is out today — that’s why this newsletter is a little late — and a paperback release is an important moment for a book. It’s a chance to find a new wave of readers, and can help determine a book’s longevity. In past years, I’ve often had two or three books coming out, and I haven’t had the time to devote to paperback releases that I do now. When it comes to Isles, I chose to leave my schedule open, so I could really spend time talking to readers about it. And that’s what I’m planning to do.
Over on the Pub Dates podcast, Kate and I are doing a full read-along of The Isles of the Gods to celebrate the paperback release. Over the course of four weeks — starting today! — we’re going through the book in four sections. We’ll recap its events, we’ll discuss behind the scenes details and inspiration, pick out favourite parts and talk about writing choices I made.
When we’re done, we’re going to give away the copy you see in that picture up there, full of all my annotations.
It’s been so lovely to come back to this book I poured my heart into, and think: You know, I actually still love it. I wouldn’t change it.
If you’ve read Isles, come join us. If you haven’t, do you want to read it with me? As you might have heard, the paperback came out today.
I love meeting Pub Dates listeners at signings and events, and one of the things they always say is I feel like I know you, is that weird?
To that I say: That was the goal all along. You know those podcasts that feel like you’re lying on a couch with your eyes closed while your friends chat? It’s one of those. Friendly. Cozy. We love recording it. If you could use a low key listen, then come find us, wherever you get your podcasts, and listen along — all the info on how to win the annotated copy is in the first episode of the readalong. I’d love to see you there.
What I’m Writing
The most exciting thing I’ve worked on since last newsletter: The absolute final pass through my pages for The Heart of the World! I’m so ready to get this book into your hands. It’s up for preorder right now, and I’d be so grateful if you did — it’s the best way to support the authors you love. US preorder links. Aussie/UK links.
Since last newsletter I’ve also been on writing retreat in my beloved campervan, properly starting work on my 2026 book, which is code named RSR for now. I’ll talk about it in due course, but for now, I’m learning a lot about Mars.
What I’ve Loved Lately
This is a fabulous book — I recommend the audio, if you can — on everything we’re going to need to send humans to Mars. Author Mary Roach asks what we’ll eat, how we’ll sleep, how we’ll wash (a way more involved question than you’d think) and tackles the history of the many experiments we’ve done so far to figure all this stuff out. Some of them are wild.
News and Events
If you’re in Melbourne, you should check out Continuum — it’s our yearly spec fic con, by locals fans and for local fans, always full of a pile of fantastic and thoughtful discussion panels. It’s also a great place to have a casual chat with the authors attending, most of whom (including me) are also there in a fan capacity.
Folks in Melbourne can also come see me on Saturday May 25th at Emerald Hill Library in South Melbourne, where I’ll be talking with some of my co-contributors to the Everything Under the Moon anthology. Tickets are free but bookings are required. You can grab a ticket here.
Aussies! I’m going to be at the Brisbane Writers Festival from 30 May to 2 June. I’ll be in a bunch of sessions, talking about magic and worldbuilding, and interviewing Naomi Novik, which I’m so looking forward to! You can grab tickets by clicking here. They’re selling very fast, and some are already sold out, so don’t delay.
Giveaway
This month’s giveaway can be found over on the Pub Dates podcast — find it wherever you listen! Why don’t you download that first episode right now?
That’s it for this month! If you use Kindle Unlimited, don’t forget to check out These Broken Stars — and don’t forget to grab your Isles paperback. I’ll see you in June, when I should have some really fun news to share.
I loved hearing all of your commentary in the first reading, regarding the intentional choices you made based on critiques or pet peeves you have a reader. Thanks for sharing!
congrats on the paperback!! I can't wait to see what's in store for the heart of the world—the world always feels better when I have one of your books in my hands. thank you for all these gifts.