Sarah Jessica Parkers Imprint Releases Debut Novel Critical Linking, June 18

Sarah Jessica Parkers Imprint Releases Debut Novel Critical Linking, June 18 Todays Critical Linking is sponsored by ME, MYSELF AND THEM by Dan Mooney. Parker’s new publishing imprint, SJP for Hogarth, released its first novel on June 12â€"within a week of when another celebrity-run book imprint, Lena Dunham’s Lenny, published a new novel of its own. The worlds of fashion and music have long understood the power of celebrity collaborations, which count on high-profile partners to combine expertise and star power. Now book publishers are breaking out of their bubble and looking to outsidersâ€"people with name-brand cachet and stratospheric social-media followings, and who presumably also love booksâ€"to curate and helm boutique lists. “Publishers want celebrity stardust, and, let’s face it, most writers don’t have that,” says Claiborne Smith, editor in chief of Kirkus Reviews. Fatima Farheen Mirza’s A Place for Us, the imprints debut novel, was just released. Take a look at any list of the greatest detectives in fiction â€" say, this one â€" and it’s hard to ignore the fact that they’re overwhelmingly white and male. Some of them may be intellectuals, while others prefer to solve a tricky case with their fists, but one thing Sherlock Holmes shares with Sam Spade, Jack Reacher and Kurt Wallander is the colour of his face. The Guardian talks about the dearth of diversity in detective fiction and highlights some diverse authors writing in the genre. Actress Chloe Dykstra, who dated comedian and Talking Dead host Chris Hardwick from 2012 to 2014, wrote Thursday on Medium that an unnamed ex-boyfriend, apparently Hardwick, emotionally and sexually abused her throughout their relationship. Details from the essay, including the timing and their age difference, match details of her relationship with Hardwick. Dykstra’s ex-boyfriend exhibited “controlling behaviors” and did not allow her to drink or have male friends, among other rules, according to the essay. Oh man. Sign up to Today In Books to receive  daily news and miscellany from the world of books.