“Joe Zagets opens the book on the publishing industry and isn’t afraid to touch a few nerves. I laughed, I winced, and I kept turning pages thinking ‘oh man what’s next?” – Tony Wirt, bestselling author of Just Stay Away and Silent Creek
“I’ve never identified so closely with a main character that I can’t stand.” – Alex Grecian, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author
“#Authorlife is—somehow—both a blistering satire and a joyous (though nail-biting) thrill ride. You will never look at your favorite authors the same. What a clever, astute, and fun novel. Five shining stars.” – T. Greenwood, author of Everything Has Happened, The Still Point, and Keeping Lucy
After selling his first thriller novel for six figures, Mackenzie “Mack” Lane quit his job as a journalist to become a full-time author. But now, a few years later, his career is spiraling downward. With each book doing worse than the last, he fears his status as a Boring White Dude is partly to blame. With his bank accounts dwindling, Mack has to find a way to make more money: his ex-wife wants to send their son to a private high school, and his current wife wants to have a baby.
Mack begs his agent and editor to sing the praises of his new novel and do everything in their power to encourage his publisher’s marketing team to make the book a bestseller. But as Pub Day for his fourth novel approaches—without the interviews and publicity he’d so hoped for—Mack knows his book is in trouble. And with it, his career and personal life.
Growing more desperate, Mack concocts a risky and more-or-less unethical idea for a publicity stunt. His agent, Wallis Wallace, reluctantly goes along with it—after all, if it works, she stands to gain 15% of his windfall. And if it doesn’t work, Mack is the one who will suffer the consequences of being ridiculed and cancelled.
#AUTHORLIFE (Bad Hand Books; September 22, 2026) is a satire about an author who gets the wrong sort of inspiration from his dying career—because publishing is a bloody hard business career.
To help launch the release of #AUTHORLIFE we’re hosting this exciting virtual book tour throughout the month of September. We hope you’ll follow along as this stellar lineup of influencers share reviews, spotlight features, and giveaways:
Tuesday, September 1 @amberiasbookstagram
Tuesday, September 1 @deasbookshelf
Wednesday, September 2 @alymaverinoreads
Wednesday, September 2 @englishmans_book_shelf
Thursday, September 3 @epicureanreads
Thursday, September 3 @aimeedarsreads
Friday, September 4 @backporchpages
Friday, September 4 @bookapotamus
Saturday, September 5 @holdme.thrillme
Monday, September 7 @danish_mustardreads
Tuesday, September 8 @books_and_biewers
Tuesday, September 8 @redreviews4you
Wednesday, September 9 @littleairplane6
Wednesday, September 9 @candice_reads
Thursday, September 10 @booksloveandunderstanding
Friday, September 11 @cathyscozybooknook
Friday, September 11 @bookish.heidi
Saturday, September 12 @nissa_the.bookworm
Monday, September 14 @booksandcoffeemx
Monday, September 14 @brianas_best_reads
Tuesday, September 15 @rebekahdolmat
Tuesday, September 15 @purrfectly_booked
Wednesday, September 16 @subakka.bookstuff
Wednesday, September 16 @love_my_dane_dolly_
Thursday, September 17 @twinreadsandreds
Thursday, September 17 @gofetchabook
Friday, September 18 @roziereadsandwine
Friday, September 18 @nurse_bookie
Saturday, September 19 @stacy40pages
Sunday, September 20 @2manybooks2littletime
Monday, September 21 @lovemybooks2020
Monday, September 21 @bookgirlbrown_reviews
Tuesday, September 22 @tammyreads62
Tuesday, September 22 @athenanooneaskedyou
Tuesday, September 22 @sarahandherbookshelves
Wednesday, September 23 @carol_doscher_reader
Wednesday, September 23 @books.cats.travel.food
Thursday, September 24 @reading2escape
Thursday, September 24 @katieneedsabiggerbookshelf
Friday, September 25 @alicias.literary.life
Friday, September 25 @sarahs.bookish.reviews
Saturday, September 26 @wutheringvines
Sunday, September 27 @journalofjaida
Monday, September 28 @bitofeverythingbooks
Monday, September 28 @just_another_mother_with_books
Tuesday, September 29 @book.addict.827
Tuesday, September 29 @growwithcassie_
Tuesday, September 29 @ _armedwithabook
Wednesday, September 30 @hooked.by.books
Wednesday, September 30 @shereadswithcats
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