Gioia Diliberto on Coco at the Ritz and the Jewish Book Council
Gioia Diliberto, MA/MFA Faculty member
One of my most rewarding experiences as an author over the course of publishing seven books (four biographies and three novels) came for the first time this year with my participation in the Jewish Book Council’s touring author program.
Founded in 1943, the JBC, as its website announces, is “the longest running organization devoted exclusively to supporting and celebrating Jewish literature.” Although I’m not Jewish, my latest book, Coco at the Ritz, made me eligible due to its exploration of anti-Semitism. The book is an historical novel inspired by the arrest and interrogation of Coco Chanel near the end of World War II on charges of treason, stemming from her love affair with a Nazi spy. Anyone with a book of interest to Jewish audiences can apply to be a JBC touring author. Further information, including guidelines for authors and instructions for how to apply, is available online.
Chanel is a world famous, Jewish-owned brand whose founder has a dark and complicated side related to her behavior during the Paris Occupation. My story about how she spent these tragic and horrifying years stands as particularly relevant to Jews who live today in a world where anti-Semitism and hate in general have exploded.
Of course, the subject is also important to audiences beyond the Jewish community, but, as anyone who’s published a novel recently knows, finding and connecting with readers these days poses a severe challenge. Historical fiction, for example, is a huge, crowded field. A review of Coco at the Ritz appeared in the November 2021 issue of the Historical Novel Society’s quarterly magazine. It was a lovely notice, but it ran with other reviews filling 57 pages. In such circumstances, it’s easy to be overlooked.
The JBC gave me an opportunity to reach groups who might be interested in my novel but might not have known about it. What’s more, the audiences at the Jewish community centers, book clubs, and literary and cultural festivals where I was invited to speak were among the most warm, welcoming and engaged of any I’ve encountered in my career. For participating authors, the JBC covers travel and lodging and arranges to sell books at the venues. Events are virtual and in-person; all but two of my events were in person.
The JBC has about 120 member associations, including JCCs, synagogues, and cultural centers that host literary events. This year I was one of about 250 participating authors ranging from Pulitzer-Prize winning biographers and bestselling novelists, to self-published authors, cookbook writers, children’s book authors, essayists, and memoirists. The March deadline for this year has passed, though you can still apply in April and pay a late fee. In May, every applicant will be invited to give a two-minute virtual presentation to the JBC program directors. The JBC also requires each author to send 110 books to the organization’s headquarters, which are distributed to the council’s members. PDFs are accepted, but you stand a better chance of getting invitations if you (or your publisher) send actual books.
Invitations are extended in June and may continue throughout the year. I know authors who’ve received just one and others who’ve earned 50. I drew 12 and accepted them all. (If you do get invitations, you have to agree to accept at least three.)
You can learn more about JBC's current authors and programs here.