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The Author Weekend
Not yet published
Expected 5 May 26The Devil Wears Prada meets White Lotus in a story of colliding egos and shocking betrayal, as intoxicatingly ice-cold as the pink Prosecco that flows all weekend.
Everything needs to be just right for bestselling mystery writer Faye Wader’s first ever fan weekend. Her sales might be slipping—only a little!—but her readers still love her enough to pony up for three days and two nights on Great Misery Island. The retreat is precisely planned, from the small batch artisanal donuts to the perimenopausal Mermaid Meditation, by Faye and her beleaguered assistant Jade—an aspiring author who can’t seem to finish her own novel.
Faye’s long-time agent and editor will be there, as well as Faye’s number one fan, Peggy Mercer, who has been first in line at every one of Faye’s events. When news comes that the weekend will be crashed by glamorous, charismatic, rival novelist Abby Schuss, Faye thinks things can’t get worse … until one of the attendees is found dead in her room, setting off an unexpectedly murderous chain of events that make pre-pub anxiety seem like a day at the beach. How far is Faye willing to go to get exactly what she wants from her author weekend?
The Author Weekend is a thrilling and hilarious dive into the dark heart of envy, and a glorious exploration of a woman of a certain age desperate to survive the dog-eat-dog world of publishing and control her own narrative.
Everything needs to be just right for bestselling mystery writer Faye Wader’s first ever fan weekend. Her sales might be slipping—only a little!—but her readers still love her enough to pony up for three days and two nights on Great Misery Island. The retreat is precisely planned, from the small batch artisanal donuts to the perimenopausal Mermaid Meditation, by Faye and her beleaguered assistant Jade—an aspiring author who can’t seem to finish her own novel.
Faye’s long-time agent and editor will be there, as well as Faye’s number one fan, Peggy Mercer, who has been first in line at every one of Faye’s events. When news comes that the weekend will be crashed by glamorous, charismatic, rival novelist Abby Schuss, Faye thinks things can’t get worse … until one of the attendees is found dead in her room, setting off an unexpectedly murderous chain of events that make pre-pub anxiety seem like a day at the beach. How far is Faye willing to go to get exactly what she wants from her author weekend?
The Author Weekend is a thrilling and hilarious dive into the dark heart of envy, and a glorious exploration of a woman of a certain age desperate to survive the dog-eat-dog world of publishing and control her own narrative.
- GenresMystery
350 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication May 5, 2026
2 people are currently reading
458 people want to read
About the author
Laura Zigman
18 books415 followersLaura Zigman is the author of five novels, including Separation Anxiety (which was optioned by Julianne Nicholson and the production company Wiip (Mare of Easttown) for a limited television series); Animal Husbandry (which was made into the movie Someone Like You, starring Hugh Jackman and Ashley Judd), Dating Big Bird, Her, and Piece of Work. She has ghostwritten/collaborated on several works of non-fiction, including Eddie Izzard's New York Times bestseller, Believe Me; been a contributor to the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Huffington Post; produced a popular online series of animated videos called Annoying Conversations; and was the recipient of a Yaddo residency. Her sixth novel, Small World, will be published in January 2023. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 24, 2025
The Author Weekend by Laura Zigman
If you've ever thought the publishing world was a little too full of itself, The Author Weekend is the deliciously wicked, highly caffeinated gossip session you need. This book is a blistering, ice-cold satire that feels like Laura Zigman just pulled up a chair, ordered a third pink Prosecco, and started spilling every toxic, petty secret she knows about the book industry.
Great Misery Island: Where Dreams Go to Die
We're trapped on Great Misery Island (the name is a whole mood, honestly) with Faye Wader. Faye is a Woman of a Certain Age and a former bestselling mystery writer whose sales are doing a polite little slide toward oblivion. To compensate, she’s decided to host her first ever fan retreat.
The sheer, agonizing perfection of this retreat's planning is immediately hilarious: we’re talking small-batch artisanal donuts, a "peri-menopausal Mermaid Meditation," and every last detail micromanaged by Faye and her long-suffering assistant, Jade (a character I immediately latched onto because she's an aspiring author who can't finish her own damn novel).
But obviously, the weekend goes sideways immediately. First, Abby Schuss, the glamorous, charismatic, younger rival writer, crashes the party, bringing peak ego and competition energy. Then, someone turns up dead. The murder is almost an afterthought, a perfect punctuation mark to the exhausting vanity of the literary world.
The Dark Heart of Envy
This novel is less about whodunnit and more about who wants what, and how far they'll go to get it. It’s a ruthless dissection of envy and the relentless pressure on women, especially older women, to control their own narrative in a world that keeps trying to write them out.
Faye Wader is the perfect anti-hero: she's desperate, manipulative, and deeply insecure, which makes her oddly relatable. She’s trying to stay relevant while everyone around her—her assistant, her agent, her readers, and especially Abby—represents either a threat, a disappointment, or a source of untapped value. The whole plot turns into a shocking chain of events where pre-publication anxiety suddenly feels like a vacation compared to actual murder.
Buy It, Read It, Side-Eye Your TBR Pile
Laura Zigman does not hold back. This is a brilliant, laugh-out-loud-until-you-feel-guilty read. It’s got the razor-sharp, gossipy fun of The Devil Wears Prada but set against the claustrophobic backdrop of White Lotus, making every interaction feel high-stakes and potentially lethal.
If you love dark humor, brilliant dialogue, and watching monstrous egos collide, this book is your poisoned chalice. Go for the murder, stay for the savage, spot-on satire of fame, publishing, and being a woman perpetually chasing the next big hit. It's fantastic, twisted fun.
#TheAuthorWeekend #NetGalley
If you've ever thought the publishing world was a little too full of itself, The Author Weekend is the deliciously wicked, highly caffeinated gossip session you need. This book is a blistering, ice-cold satire that feels like Laura Zigman just pulled up a chair, ordered a third pink Prosecco, and started spilling every toxic, petty secret she knows about the book industry.
Great Misery Island: Where Dreams Go to Die
We're trapped on Great Misery Island (the name is a whole mood, honestly) with Faye Wader. Faye is a Woman of a Certain Age and a former bestselling mystery writer whose sales are doing a polite little slide toward oblivion. To compensate, she’s decided to host her first ever fan retreat.
The sheer, agonizing perfection of this retreat's planning is immediately hilarious: we’re talking small-batch artisanal donuts, a "peri-menopausal Mermaid Meditation," and every last detail micromanaged by Faye and her long-suffering assistant, Jade (a character I immediately latched onto because she's an aspiring author who can't finish her own damn novel).
But obviously, the weekend goes sideways immediately. First, Abby Schuss, the glamorous, charismatic, younger rival writer, crashes the party, bringing peak ego and competition energy. Then, someone turns up dead. The murder is almost an afterthought, a perfect punctuation mark to the exhausting vanity of the literary world.
The Dark Heart of Envy
This novel is less about whodunnit and more about who wants what, and how far they'll go to get it. It’s a ruthless dissection of envy and the relentless pressure on women, especially older women, to control their own narrative in a world that keeps trying to write them out.
Faye Wader is the perfect anti-hero: she's desperate, manipulative, and deeply insecure, which makes her oddly relatable. She’s trying to stay relevant while everyone around her—her assistant, her agent, her readers, and especially Abby—represents either a threat, a disappointment, or a source of untapped value. The whole plot turns into a shocking chain of events where pre-publication anxiety suddenly feels like a vacation compared to actual murder.
Buy It, Read It, Side-Eye Your TBR Pile
Laura Zigman does not hold back. This is a brilliant, laugh-out-loud-until-you-feel-guilty read. It’s got the razor-sharp, gossipy fun of The Devil Wears Prada but set against the claustrophobic backdrop of White Lotus, making every interaction feel high-stakes and potentially lethal.
If you love dark humor, brilliant dialogue, and watching monstrous egos collide, this book is your poisoned chalice. Go for the murder, stay for the savage, spot-on satire of fame, publishing, and being a woman perpetually chasing the next big hit. It's fantastic, twisted fun.
#TheAuthorWeekend #NetGalley
November 17, 2025
I have been a fan of Laura Zigman since her Animal Husbandry and Dating Big Bird years, so when I saw this new title - with it's decidedly un-Zigman cover and blurb - I was highly intrigued. Her writing felt familiar - the snark and sass were definitely still there, as were her marvelous turns of phrase and the way she captures female experience - but also distinctive this time around, and the darker tone and tenor were apparent even early on. For a short while, I wasn't sure I was going to like it enough to read all the way through. There is a lot of angst here of a type that I don't normally associate with her books, and it was heavy reading for a bit. I stuck with it though, having always enjoyed her work in the past, and am very glad that I did!
On the whole this was a dark, scheming story about ambition and aging and what to do when the world wants you to be one thing but you just can't seem to deliver. The characters were often unlikeable - selfish and self-righteous, anxious and antagonistic - but there's just something about the way Zigman pulled it all together that worked for me and kept me rooting for her characters even when I most disliked them! This is not a fluffy read - there's a lot of "I can't believe that just happened?!" and it by rights should have felt like it stretched the bounds of credulity past their breaking point, yet some part of me kept feeling for these poor people who just kept getting dragged further in by their bad decisions and secrets...
It was a very interesting read and if it marks a new direction for the author, count me in for the next one!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.
On the whole this was a dark, scheming story about ambition and aging and what to do when the world wants you to be one thing but you just can't seem to deliver. The characters were often unlikeable - selfish and self-righteous, anxious and antagonistic - but there's just something about the way Zigman pulled it all together that worked for me and kept me rooting for her characters even when I most disliked them! This is not a fluffy read - there's a lot of "I can't believe that just happened?!" and it by rights should have felt like it stretched the bounds of credulity past their breaking point, yet some part of me kept feeling for these poor people who just kept getting dragged further in by their bad decisions and secrets...
It was a very interesting read and if it marks a new direction for the author, count me in for the next one!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.
November 6, 2025
This satirical, funny, and clever poke at the publishing industry felt like an evening with an author who knows a lot and is ready to spill the tea.
Faye Wader is a previously successful author whose sales have been declining over her last few novels. She hosts an author’s weekend with her fans and things go horribly wrong.
Thank you Blackstone for the ARC. The book will be released in May 2026.
Faye Wader is a previously successful author whose sales have been declining over her last few novels. She hosts an author’s weekend with her fans and things go horribly wrong.
Thank you Blackstone for the ARC. The book will be released in May 2026.
December 10, 2025
I love Laura Zigman's writing. Her novels are so funny, smart and full of heart, and they know people like nobody's business. They also always surprise me, which is what I love best about reading her work. She's an original. The Author Weekend is such a deliciously dark, wild ride. Bold and brilliant, utterly gripping and wickedly hilarious. I couldn't put it down.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Twisty, fun, murderous satire on the publishing industry. Faye Wader is the author of a series of mystery/thrillers, her heroine she claims to be loosely based on her own life experiences. But when one of her super fans at her inaugural author weekend, on a remote island in Maine, threatens to expose her lies, things go south fast. How far will Faye go to protect her success?
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews