Books and More with William Cooper

Joan Silber has written ten books of fiction--most recently, Mercy, out in fall 2025. Secrets of Happiness was a Washington Post Best Book of the year and a Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction of the Year. Improvement won The National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction and the PEN/Faulkner Award. She also received the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short Story. Her other works of fiction include Fools, longlisted for the National Book Award and finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, The Size of the World, finalist for the Los Angeles Times Prize in Fiction, and Ideas of Heaven, finalist for the National Book Award and the Story Prize. She’s also written Lucky Us, In My Other Life, and In the City (to be reissued by Hagfish in 2026), and her first book, Household Words, won the PEN/Hemingway Award.
Her recent The New Yorker piece: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/12/08/safety-fiction-joan-silber
Her website: https://www.joansilber.net/
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Legendary Hollywood producer Carol Baum is behind many great movies and books. She tells her story on Books and More.
Her book: https://www.carolfriedlandbaum.com/book/
 
DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY.
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DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY.
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Many authors make huge mistakes when working with publishers. Here are some thoughts to help authors avoid this.
DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY.
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On the latest episode of How Our Constitution Works … And Why It Doesn’t, we discuss whether, and to what extent, executive agencies can operate outside the president’s control. It’s a complicated and fascinating question, and the subject of a pending decision before the high court. The independence of the federal reserve—essential to economic stability—is at stake.
 
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A wonderful discussion with Ann about her work. Book Post is a bite-sized newsletter-based book review delivery service, sending well-made book reviews, by distinguished and engaging writers, direct to your inbox.
Founding editor, Ann was on the editorial staff of the New York Review of Books from 1988 to 2017. In 2009 she founded the literary magazine Little Star. She is the literary executor of the poet Joseph Brodsky and editor of several editions of his work.
https://books.substack.com/

We analyze how the Constitution's power to declare war works ... and why it doesn't. Donald Trump's war with Iran charts new territory in this controversial area.
 
DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY.
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Kate Wolf, a novelist and founding editor of The Los Angeles Review of Books.
https://www.katewolf.info/

Keith Korman is an American literary agent and novelist. Over the years he has represented many nationally known clients through his family's agency, Raines & Raines. The agency is most noted for representing the following books: The Detective, Deliverance, Die Hard, Cruising, My Dog Skip, How to Eat Fried Worms, and Forrest Gump. 

We discuss her hit novel, Water Finds A Way.
https://meghanperry.com/