China Bestsellers: TikTok Helps Boost Michaelides’ ‘Silent Patient’

In Feature Articles by Porter Anderson

Recommendations on TikTok and other media push Alex Michaelides’ bestselling debut onto the charts in China in May.

On Hainan Island’s city of Sanya, January 23. Image – Getty iStockphoto: Vera Tikhonova

By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson

Thriller Enters China’s Fiction Chart at No. 10
TikTok, known in China to some as Douyin, had a role in a new hit onto China’s fiction bestseller list for May, which brings up the interesting on-again off-again outlook for some of the market’s communications apps outside the country.

‘The Silent Patient’

On June 9, the United States president, Joe Biden, revoked one of Donald Trump’s orders, which had looked to ban TikTok and WeChat in response to concerns about Americans’ data security.

Katie Rogers and Cecilia Kang at The New York Times wrote, “The Trump order had not been carried out ‘in the soundest fashion,’ Biden administration officials said in a call with reporters, adding that the new directive would establish ‘clear intelligible criteria’ to evaluate national security risks posed by software applications connected to foreign governments, particularly China.”

The Associated Press’ Matt O’Brien, Eric Tucker, and Tali Arbel have confirmed that the Biden White House is talking about a “tailored, tough approach” to security and privacy evaluations of each app, out of “ongoing concern that Americans’ personal data could be exposed by popular apps tied to China.”

But beyond those geopolitical considerations, TikTok in China, according to the team at the data research group Beijing OpenBook, was a key vehicle of the recommendations that helped power Alex Michaelides’ The Silent Patient (Celadon Books, 2019) into an entry at No. 10 on May otherwise sluggish fiction bestseller list.

At NPD Books, Kristen McLean recently has pointed to a similar phenomenon in the United States, with two backlisted titles—They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera and We Were Liars by E. Lockhart—being placed into leading slots on the YA lists earlier this year, in part through the energy of the BookTok section of TikTok.

“This is the first time we’ve seen an organic, social-media phenomenon push backlist books spontaneously back onto the bestseller lists without any kind of marketing or sales push from publishers,” McLean said last month.

‘When Rumor Becomes Truth’

The British-Cypriot Michaelides’ debut now doing well in China is hardly a stranger to success, of course. Its Stateside publisher, Celadon, reports translation rights sales into 49 languages and territories, and it was on The New York Times‘ lists for more than a year. Brad Pitt and Megan Ellison reportedly have interests in the book’s option for film through Ellison’s Annapurna Pictures, and Michaelides was the writer on the 2013 film from James Oakley, The Devil You Know.

The Chinese edition was published in December by Henan Literature & Art Press. And while the English-language markets in which the book found its first popularity know it as an intense psychological thriller with a heavy twist at the end, the Chinese readership, according to our associates at OpenBook, are also drawn to its treatment of family, marriage, and intimate relationships.

Thrillers and suspense aren’t mainline genres in the Chinese market, while considerations of family and personal values and observations on life hold more sway.

‘Love Favors’

In addition, the fiction list saw newcomers When Rumor Becomes Truth by Man Man He Qi Duo (Jiangsu Literature & Art Press) and Love Favors by Teng Luo Wei Zhi (Qingdao Publishing House) enter at No. 22 and 30, respectively, both originating as “online literature,” the Asian engine of Internet serial fiction that spawns many contemporary hits for their avid followers.

TikTok enters the picture again in relation to Love Favors. The season has seen an uptick in romance sales among young women, and the app has helped to propel this one forward along with First Frost; Hidden Love; and You Are My Desire—with campus love stories reportedly working overtime in the chatter online, accompanied by short videos on many platforms.

‘Master of Learning’

In nonfiction, the traditional fondness in the Chinese readership for self-improvement held steady in May, seeing Li Zheyuan’s Master of Learning (Beijing Union Publishing Company) enter the list at No. 10.

Gaining popularity in his appearances on Fan Deng’s live broadcasts and streams, Zheyuan offers in his book various learning tools, having started with strong pre-sales last August.

Below, then, are OpenBook’s overall lists from May of bestsellers in fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books, followed by its lists of bestselling fiction and nonfiction in China by authors from outside the country.

At the end of our article, as always, you’ll find notes on how the lists are constructed.

OpenBook’s Fiction Bestsellers, May 2021
April 2021 Ranking May 2021 Ranking ISBN Release Date Title (Translated) Author Chinese Publisher
1 1 9787536692930 2008-01 The Three-Body Problem Liu Cixin Chongqing Publishing House
6 2 9787530221099 2021-02 Wencheng Yu hua Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House
3 3 9787536693968 2008-05 The Dark Forest Liu Cixin Chongqing Publishing House
4 4 9787500601593 2005-08 Red Crag Luo Guangbin,Yang Yiyan China Youth Press
5 5 9787540487645 2018-06 Moments We Shared Zhang Jiajia Hunan Literature & Art Press
2 6 9787229030933 2010-11 Death’s End Liu Cixin Chongqing Publishing House
10 7 9787530215593 2017-06 To Live Yu hua Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House
19 8 9787550032071 2019-02 White Olive Tree Jiu Yuexi Baihuazhou Literature & Art Publishing House
11 9 9787506344791 2008-12 Street Wizards Feng Jicai The Writer’s Publishing House
Not Ranked 10 9787555910749 2020-12 The Silent Patient Alex Michaelides Henan Literature & Art Press
8 11 9787544291170 2017-08 One Hundred Years of Solitude (50th Anniversary Edition) Gabriel García Márquez Nan Hai Publishing Co.
7 12 9787559452788 2020-12 First Frost Zhu Yi Jiangsu Literature & Art Press
18 13 9787521208740 2020-01 Street Wizards (3) Feng Jicai The Writer’s Publishing House
17 14 9787555285298 2020-03 Hidden Love Zhu Yi Qingdao Publishing House
9 15 9787506331746 2005-05 Distant Savior Dou Dou The Writer’s Publishing House
22 16 9787550032859 2019-07 You are My Desire Qi Jian Baihuazhou Literature & Art Publishing House
16 17 9787544291163 2017-08 Journey Under the Midnight Sun (2017 Edition) Higashino Keigo Nan Hai Publishing Co.
13 18 9787020002207 1998-07 Dream of the Red Chamber Cao Xueqin People’s Literature Publishing House
12 19 9787530216781 2017-06 Ordinary Word (3 Volumns) Lu Yao Beijing October Art & Literature Publishing House
Not Ranked 20 9787506384209 2015-11 Street Wizards (2) Feng Jicai The Writer’s Publishing House
Not Ranked 21 9787020160457 2020-01 Street Wizards (Full Version) Feng Jicai People’s Literature Publishing House
Not Ranked 22 9787559453723 2021-04 When Rumor Becomes Truth (The End) Man Man He Qi Duo Jiangsu Literature & Art Press
20 23 9787521210033 2020-09 Sit for a While Tea House Jia Pingwa The Writer’s Publishing House
Not Ranked 24 9787544298995 2020-09 Miracles of the Namiya General Store (2020 Edition) Higashino Keigo Nan Hai Publishing Co.
21 25 9787544766500 2017-01 To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee Yilin Press
26 26 9787544285148 2016-10 Malice Higashino Keigo Nan Hai Publishing Co.
Not Ranked 27 9787020164776 2020-07 A Late Bloomer Mo Yan People’s Literature Publishing House
15 28 9787506365437 2010-06 To Live Yu hua The Writer’s Publishing House
23 29 9787020090006 2012-07 Fortress Besieged Qian Zhongshu People’s Literature Publishing House
Not Ranked 30 9787555283652 2020-03 Love Favors Teng Luo Wei Zhi Qingdao Publishing House

OpenBook’s Nonfiction Bestsellers, May 2021
April 2021 Ranking May 2021 Ranking ISBN Release Date Title (Translated) Author Chinese Publisher
3 1 9787544276986 2019-10 Educated: A Memoir Tara Westover Nan Hai Publishing Co.
1 2 9787201161693 2020-08 Counselling for Toads: A Psychological Adventure Robert de Board Tianjin People’s Publishing House
2 3 9787572201882 2020-08 The Value Zhang Lei Zhejiang Education Press Co.,Ltd
4 4 9787549632725 2020-09 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (5) Chen Lei Wenhui Publishing House
6 5 9787539999883 2017-03 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon Chen Lei Jiangsu Literature & Art Press
10 6 9787544387866 2019-09 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (4) Chen Lei Hainan Publishing House
9 7 9787544382045 2018-05 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (2) Chen Lei Hainan Publishing House
8 8 9787544382052 2018-05 30 Minutes of Chinese History in Cartoon (3) Chen Lei Hainan Publishing House
7 9 9787559640246 2020-04 Gag Reel (Signature Edition) Li Dan Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd.
Not Ranked 10 9787559643926 2020-08 Master of Learning Li Zheyuan Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd.
11 11 9787508095226 2018-09 Nonviolent Communication Marshall B. Rosenberg Huaxia Publishing House
12 12 9787559418111 2018-04 30 Minutes of World History in Cartoon Chen Lei Jiangsu Literature & Art Press
17 13 9787540489304 2019-01 Danshari Yamashita Eiko Hunan Literature & Art Press
5 14 9787550268517 2016-07 Positive Discipline Jane Nelsen Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd.
15 15 9787557023041 2020-10 If History were a Group of Cats: Sui and Tang Dynasty Fei Zhi Guangdong Tourism Publishing House
13 16 9787559639134 2020-06 The Rise of China Jin Yinan Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd.
16 17 9787559313652 2017-09 If History were a Group of Cats: Xia, Shang and Western Zhou Dynasty Fei Zhi Heilongjiang Fine Arts Press
18 18 9787559330260 2018-06 If History were a Group of Cats: The Spring-autumn and Warring State Period Fei Zhi Heilongjiang Fine Arts Press
20 19 9787557017477 2019-02 If History were a Group of Cats: Qin, Chu, Western Han and Eastern Han Dynasty Fei Zhi Guangdong Tourism Publishing House
21 20 9787557021856 2020-05 If History were a Group of Cats: Wei, Jin and the Northern and Southern Dynasties Fei Zhi Guangdong Tourism Publishing House
22 21 9787557020149 2019-09 If History were a Group of Cats: Three Kingdoms Fei Zhi Guangdong Tourism Publishing House
23 22 9787557020132 2019-09 If History were a Group of Cats: The End of Eastern Han Dynasty Fei Zhi Guangdong Tourism Publishing House
Not Ranked 23 9787521210255 2020-08 The Tough Brilliance Jin Yinan The Writer’s Publishing House
19 24 9787508660752 2017-02 Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind Yuval Noah Harari CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd
14 25 9787108063106 2018-06 We Three (Third Edition) Yang Jiang SDX Joint Publishing Company
25 26 9787540487850 2018-08 Guo Degang on Chinese Cultural History Guo Degang Hunan Literature & Art Press
26 27 9787508689586 2018-07 Economics Lecture Notes Xue Zhaofeng CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd
Not Ranked 28 9787559449863 2020-08 30 Minutes of History of Chinese Philosophy in Cartoon Chen Lei Jiangsu Literature & Art Press
Not Ranked 29 9787020116133 2016-06 Red Star Over China Edgar Snow People’s Literature Publishing House
24 30 9787201088945 2014-12 No More Than Skins Cai Chongda Tianjin People’s Publishing House

OpenBook’s Children’s Bestsellers, May 2021
April 2021 Ranking May 2021 Ranking ISBN Release Date Title (Translated) Author Chinese Publisher
7 1 9787534633362 2005-05 Bronze and Sunflower Cao Wenxuan Jiangsu Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
3 2 9787536574397 2016-01 Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Clever Little Prodigy Bei Mao Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
4 3 9787536574366 2016-01 Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Stratego Bei Mao Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
2 4 9787536593749 2020-05 Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Game of the Wise Bei Mao Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
8 5 9787536574380 2016-01 Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Who’s the Smart Guy? Bei Mao Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
10 6 9787536574373 2016-01 Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: The Great Adventure of the Castle Bei Mao Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
5 7 9787536593756 2020-05 Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: Password Discovery Bei Mao Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
9 8 9787536593442 2020-05 Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: The Magic Lamp Bei Mao Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
6 9 9787536593459 2020-05 Mi Xiaoquan’s Brain-teaser: ‘Have a Meal’ Restaurant Bei Mao Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
Not Ranked 10 9787534618727 1998-07 The Straw Hut Cao Wenxuan Jiangsu Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
11 11 9787536587694 2018-04 Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: I am a Pupil Bei Mao Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
1 12 9787521726473 2020-12 A Dog Named Money Bodo Schafer CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd
12 13 9787536587724 2018-04 Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: Look at This Family Bei Mao Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
13 14 9787536587717 2018-04 Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: A Dog Called Rat Bei Mao Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
14 15 9787536587700 2018-04 Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: My Good Friend Tie Tou Bei Mao Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
15 16 9787536587762 2018-04 Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: If I Have a Time Machine Bei Mao Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
17 17 9787536587731 2018-04 Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: Trouble of the New Deskmate Bei Mao Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
16 18 9787536587755 2018-04 Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: Secrets of Nature Bei Mao Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
18 19 9787536587748 2018-04 Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: A Lot of Fun Bei Mao Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
21 20 9787536587793 2018-04 Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: Comedy King Comes Bei Mao Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
27 21 9787536588110 2018-04 Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: Undercover Deskmate Bei Mao Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
24 22 9787536587786 2018-04 Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: Naughty Boy and Grandpa Bei Mao Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
26 23 9787536588103 2018-04 Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: The Future Me Bei Mao Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
22 24 9787536587809 2018-04 Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: Cheers, Soccer Boy Bei Mao Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
28 25 9787536588202 2017-11 Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: Meet Mr. Cat Bei Mao Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
Not Ranked 26 9787536588196 2017-11 Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: There’s a Little Prodigy in Class Bei Mao Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
23 27 9787536596313 2019-12 Mi Xiaoquan’s Idioms Comic Games Bei Mao Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
25 28 9787536587779 2018-04 Mi Xiaoquan School Experience: I Have a Super Follow Bei Mao Sichuan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House
Not Ranked 29 9787501605071 2011-10 Bronze and Sunflower Cao Wenxuan Foreign Literature Press
30 30 9787558900648 2017-07 Winter of Three Hairs (With Chinese Pinyin) Zhang Leping Juvenile & Children’s Publishing House

In Shanghai, February 2020. Image – Getty iStockphoto: Robert Way

Foreign Author Fiction Bestsellers, May 2021
April 2021 Ranking May 2021 Ranking ISBN Release Date Title (Translated) Author Author nationality Chinese Publisher
19 1 9787555910749 2020-12 The Silent Patient Alex Michaelides Britain Henan Literature & Art Press
1 2 9787544291170 2017-08 One Hundred Years of Solitude (50th Anniversary Edition) Gabriel García Márquez Colombia Nan Hai Publishing Co.
2 3 9787544291163 2017-08 Journey Under the Midnight Sun (2017 Edition) Higashino Keigo Japan Nan Hai Publishing Co.
8 4 9787544298995 2020-09 Miracles of the Namiya General Store (2020 Edition) Higashino Keigo Japan Nan Hai Publishing Co.
3 5 9787544766500 2017-01 To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee United States of America Yilin Press
4 6 9787544285148 2016-10 Malice Higashino Keigo Japan Nan Hai Publishing Co.
Not Ranked 7 9787544262705 2021-03 The Line of Hope Higashino Keigo Japan Nan Hai Publishing Co.
6 8 9787532175512 2020-05 13 Steps Kazuaki Takano Japan Shanghai Literature & Art Press
5 9 9787532776771 2018-03 Norwegian Wood (30th Anniversary Edition) Haruki Murakami Japan Shanghai Translation Publishing House
7 10 9787544267618 2014-06 The Devotion of Suspect X Higashino Keigo Japan Nan Hai Publishing Co.
10 11 9787544297059 2020-03 Love in the Time of Cholera (3 million units, anniversary edition) Gabriel García Márquez Colombia Nan Hai Publishing Co.
15 12 9787539983295 2015-10 Foundation Isaac Asimov United States of America Jiangsu Literature & Art Press
12 13 9787544291224 2017-08 After School (2017 Edition) Higashino Keigo Japan Nan Hai Publishing Co.
Not Ranked 14 9787559456021 2021-03 Smoke and Mirrors Neil Gaiman Britain Jiangsu Literature & Art Press
11 15 9787506394864 2017-09 Sophie’s World (New Edition) Jostein Gaarder Norway The Writer’s Publishing House
9 16 9787208061644 2018-02 The Kite Runner (2018 Edition) Khaled Hosseini United States of America Shanghai People’s Publishing House
Not Ranked 17 9787544292870 2018-06 Love Letter Shunji Iwai Japan Nan Hai Publishing Co.
16 18 9787544281102 2016-01 Newcomer Higashino Keigo Japan Nan Hai Publishing Co.
Not Ranked 19 9787550033566 2019-09 Weathering with You Shinkai Makoto Japan Baihuazhou Literature & Art Publishing House
14 20 9787201116693 2017-05 My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry Fredrik Backman Sweden Tianjin People’s Publishing House

Foreign Author Nonfiction Bestsellers, May 2021
April 2021 Ranking May 2021 Ranking ISBN Release Date Title (Translated) Author Author nationality Chinese Publisher
2 1 9787544276986 2019-10 Educated: A Memoir Tara Westover United States of America Nan Hai Publishing Co.
1 2 9787201161693 2020-08 Counselling for Toads: A Psychological Adventure Robert de Board Britain Tianjin People’s Publishing House
5 3 9787508095226 2018-09 Nonviolent Communication Marshall B.Rosenberg United States of America Huaxia Publishing House
9 4 9787540489304 2019-01 Danshari Yamashita Eiko Japan Hunan Literature & Art Press
4 5 9787550268517 2016-07 Positive Discipline Jane Nelsen United States of America Beijing Union Publishing Co., Ltd.
3 6 9787111495482 2020-03 The Courage to Be Disliked Kishimi Ichiro Japan China Machine Press
Not Ranked 7 9787521728330 2021-03 How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need Bill Gates United States of America CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd
6 8 9787540471194 2019-02 Relationship: Bridge to the Soul Christoper Moon Canada Hunan Literature & Art Press
8 9 9787520711531 2019-11 A Compass to Fulfillment Kazuo Inamori Japan Orient Press
7 10 9787111635574 2019-10 The Working Methods of Kazuo Inamori Kazuo Inamori Japan China Machine Press
12 11 9787220114045 2019-07 Rich Dad Poor Dad Robert T. Kiyosaki United States of America Sichuan People’s Publishing House
13 12 9787115536198 2020-05 Heart: Kazuo Inamori’s Philosophy of Life Kazuo Inamori Japan Posts & Telecommunications Publishing House
10 13 9787508660752 2017-02 Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind Yuval Noah Harari Israel CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd
11 14 9787508687216 2018-08 Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty Abhijit V.Banerjee, Esther Duflo United States of America CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd
Not Ranked 15 9787210096528 2017-09 Mindset: The New Psychology of Success Carol S.  Dweck United States of America Jiangxi People’s Publishing House
14 16 9787547734315 2019-09 Life is Worth Living Nakamura Tsuneko Japan Beijing daily publishing house
20 17 9787020116133 2017-06 Red Star Over China Edgar Snow United States of America People’s Literature Publishing House
15 18 9787508684031 2017-12 Principles Ray Dalio United States of America CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd
Not Ranked 19 9787508633558 2012-07 Thinking, Fast and Slow Daniel Kanneman United States of America CITIC Publishing House Co.,Ltd
18 20 9787535732309 2001-11 A Brief History of Time Stephen W.Hawking Britain Hunan Science & Technology Press

Notes on the Charts

OpenBook is a privately owned industry-data research firm based in Beijing. It functions somewhat as Nielsen and NDP do from the West, and Nielsen Book Research International has worked with OpenBook in Asian operations. With authoritative data and information resources, OpenBook is able to deliver consulting service to partners who would like to explore the Chinese book market and identify suitable partners.

Jiang Boyan LLC advises authors and right’s holders on global intellectual property and investment opportunities.

OpenBook monitors more than 10,000 online and offline bookstores.

The online channel includes digital retailers such as large self-operated online stores, platform stores, and small- and medium-sized stores. The offline channels include 4,495 bookstores. Coverage includes most of the state-owned and influential privately owned bookstores in 30 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions. Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Tibet are not included in OpenBook’s system.

In 2019, OpenBook tracked around 71.72 billion RMB in sales (US$10.1 billion).

Retail outlets include:

  • Traditional bookstores
  • Supermarkets
  • Campus bookstores
  • “Professional” stores, said to be small stores with a specific industrial or trade focus
  • Airport stores

In addition, OpenBook is drawing data from online bookstores of three main types:

  • The “Tmall” stores of Alibaba (Tmall is described as a marketplace of companies that create storefronts online to sell products including books)
  • The “JingDong” Stores of JD.com (similar to Tmall as a marketplace of both individual companies and bookstores operated by JD.com)
  • Ten independent online bookselling retailers

China has 500 or more publishers in operation today. Most of them, Jiang Boyan CEO James Bryant clarifies, are government-owned. Private publishers are required to generate ISBNs for their titles from a publishing company that is government-owned—which, in other words, creates a system in which all ISBNs are in one way or another registered through government channels. The government approves each book published in China.

In Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province. Image – Getty iStockphoto: Chutharat Kamkhuntee


More China bestseller reports from Publishing Perspectives are here. More from us on the Chinese market is here.

More from us on the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on international book publishing is here.

About the Author

Porter Anderson

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Porter Anderson is a non-resident fellow of Trends Research & Advisory, and he has been named International Trade Press Journalist of the Year in London Book Fair's International Excellence Awards. He is Editor-in-Chief of Publishing Perspectives. He formerly was Associate Editor for The FutureBook at London's The Bookseller. Anderson was for more than a decade a senior producer and anchor with CNN.com, CNN International, and CNN USA. As an arts critic (National Critics Institute), he was with The Village Voice, the Dallas Times Herald, and the Tampa Tribune, now the Tampa Bay Times. He co-founded The Hot Sheet, a newsletter for authors, which now is owned and operated by Jane Friedman.