Sheldon Costa
@sheldoncosta.bsky.social
Writer and miniaturist.
THE GREAT WORK forthcoming from Quirk Books
Conjunctions | Georgia Review | Electric Literature | Michigan Quarterly | Swamp Pink
He/him
https://www.sheldoncosta.com/
THE GREAT WORK forthcoming from Quirk Books
Conjunctions | Georgia Review | Electric Literature | Michigan Quarterly | Swamp Pink
He/him
https://www.sheldoncosta.com/
Pinned
Incredibly excited to announce that my debut novel, THE GREAT WORK, is coming out with @quirkbooks.bsky.social next year! Hard to put into words how lucky I feel to have worked with @jesszimmerman.com and Caroline on this--truly could not have dreamed of a better team for this project.
Northern lights book photo
November 12, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Northern lights book photo
Reposted by Sheldon Costa
#TheGreatWork by @sheldoncosta is featured in our #newbooks wrap on youtube!!
watch: youtu.be/pcox9OUZIKw
buy the books: bookshop.org/lists/n...
#booksky @Quirkbooks
watch: youtu.be/pcox9OUZIKw
buy the books: bookshop.org/lists/n...
#booksky @Quirkbooks
November 6, 2025 at 6:40 PM
#TheGreatWork by @sheldoncosta is featured in our #newbooks wrap on youtube!!
watch: youtu.be/pcox9OUZIKw
buy the books: bookshop.org/lists/n...
#booksky @Quirkbooks
watch: youtu.be/pcox9OUZIKw
buy the books: bookshop.org/lists/n...
#booksky @Quirkbooks
Listen: Jess edited my book and it got starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly AND it was an Indie Next pick. Coincidence? I think not! If you're working on a writing project I guarantee Jess will make it better!
Periodic reminder that I’m doing freelance editing right now! I have experience in both fiction and nonfiction and offer a range of services from coaching to line editing to query letters—reach out if you have a project but are feeling at sea! www.jesszimmerman.com/editing.html
November 6, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Listen: Jess edited my book and it got starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly AND it was an Indie Next pick. Coincidence? I think not! If you're working on a writing project I guarantee Jess will make it better!
Reposted by Sheldon Costa
the November horror shopping list is live! feat. new titles from @laurelhightower.bsky.social @christinahenry.bsky.social @sheldoncosta.bsky.social @lormaggot.ca @peterclines.bsky.social @vlatinalondon.bsky.social @beatriceiker.bsky.social @drewhuff.bsky.social @victormanibo.com & more!
All the New Horror Books Coming in November 2025
November 2025’s new horror books, featuring titles from Oyinkan Braithwaite, Laurel Hightower, Christina Henry, Peter Clines, Beatrice Winifred Iker, Drew Huff, and more!
readjumpscares.com
November 5, 2025 at 9:08 PM
the November horror shopping list is live! feat. new titles from @laurelhightower.bsky.social @christinahenry.bsky.social @sheldoncosta.bsky.social @lormaggot.ca @peterclines.bsky.social @vlatinalondon.bsky.social @beatriceiker.bsky.social @drewhuff.bsky.social @victormanibo.com & more!
Reposted by Sheldon Costa
Psyched for this one—Sheldon and I were MFA cohort-mates in a cohort full of genius weirdos but I was always exceptionally excited to see what came out of his weird brain and the sidelong occult grandness of its sensibilities; really delighted to roll around in that for a whole-ass book
November 5, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Psyched for this one—Sheldon and I were MFA cohort-mates in a cohort full of genius weirdos but I was always exceptionally excited to see what came out of his weird brain and the sidelong occult grandness of its sensibilities; really delighted to roll around in that for a whole-ass book
How am I celebrating the launch of my book, you ask? Same as any author: by admiring the tiny diorama I made depicting a scene from the first chapter:
November 5, 2025 at 5:18 PM
How am I celebrating the launch of my book, you ask? Same as any author: by admiring the tiny diorama I made depicting a scene from the first chapter:
Reposted by Sheldon Costa
Happiest of publication days to this utterly singular, extremely good novel. An adventure story, an exploration of the rotten heart of the American frontier myth, a tender meditation on male friendship and making a family, and a truly freaky novel about alchemy and hunting a giant salamander.
My book The Great Work comes out today! Still can't quite believe this is a thing that is happening. Special thanks to my extremely talented editor @jesszimmerman.com and my wonderful agent @carolineeisenmann.bsky.social, both of whom were steadfast champions for this very weird novel.
The Great Work by Sheldon Costa: 9781683695059 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
“Not to be missed.”—Booklist “A moody, atmospheric, and singular novel which navigates corners of American history through the complicated territory of horror, the monstrous,...
www.penguinrandomhouse.com
November 4, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Happiest of publication days to this utterly singular, extremely good novel. An adventure story, an exploration of the rotten heart of the American frontier myth, a tender meditation on male friendship and making a family, and a truly freaky novel about alchemy and hunting a giant salamander.
My book The Great Work comes out today! Still can't quite believe this is a thing that is happening. Special thanks to my extremely talented editor @jesszimmerman.com and my wonderful agent @carolineeisenmann.bsky.social, both of whom were steadfast champions for this very weird novel.
The Great Work by Sheldon Costa: 9781683695059 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
“Not to be missed.”—Booklist “A moody, atmospheric, and singular novel which navigates corners of American history through the complicated territory of horror, the monstrous,...
www.penguinrandomhouse.com
November 4, 2025 at 2:58 PM
My book The Great Work comes out today! Still can't quite believe this is a thing that is happening. Special thanks to my extremely talented editor @jesszimmerman.com and my wonderful agent @carolineeisenmann.bsky.social, both of whom were steadfast champions for this very weird novel.
Reposted by Sheldon Costa
Happy pub day to The Great Work! So proud of @sheldoncosta.bsky.social and his weird, dark, charming, picaresque child
The Great Work by Sheldon Costa: 9781683695059 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
“Not to be missed.”—Booklist “A moody, atmospheric, and singular novel which navigates corners of American history through the complicated territory of horror, the monstrous,...
www.penguinrandomhouse.com
November 4, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Happy pub day to The Great Work! So proud of @sheldoncosta.bsky.social and his weird, dark, charming, picaresque child
Reposted by Sheldon Costa
Happy book birthday to THE GREAT WORK by @sheldoncosta.bsky.social, a "not to be missed" (BOOKLIST) profound and unsettling speculative Western perfect for fans of LONE WOMEN, THE ANTIDOTE, and THE LIBRARY AT MOUNT CHAR.
Pick up your copy wherever you buy your books!
Pick up your copy wherever you buy your books!
November 4, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Happy book birthday to THE GREAT WORK by @sheldoncosta.bsky.social, a "not to be missed" (BOOKLIST) profound and unsettling speculative Western perfect for fans of LONE WOMEN, THE ANTIDOTE, and THE LIBRARY AT MOUNT CHAR.
Pick up your copy wherever you buy your books!
Pick up your copy wherever you buy your books!
Oh god new pandemic coming
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is getting a big Switch 2 upgrade in January
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is getting a big Switch 2 upgrade in January
There’s a free update on the way, too.
buff.ly
October 30, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Oh god new pandemic coming
The Great Work got a starred review from Kirkus 🥲
"Whether Gentle is a visionary or a drunk, whether the salamander is a creature of flesh or a shared delusion, and ultimately, the meaning of the mission is as much about human frailty and grace as the nightmares that stalk the page."
"Whether Gentle is a visionary or a drunk, whether the salamander is a creature of flesh or a shared delusion, and ultimately, the meaning of the mission is as much about human frailty and grace as the nightmares that stalk the page."
THE GREAT WORK | Kirkus Reviews
A shy young man joins his eccentric uncle on a wild hunt to kill a dragon and raise the dead.
www.kirkusreviews.com
October 20, 2025 at 6:29 PM
The Great Work got a starred review from Kirkus 🥲
"Whether Gentle is a visionary or a drunk, whether the salamander is a creature of flesh or a shared delusion, and ultimately, the meaning of the mission is as much about human frailty and grace as the nightmares that stalk the page."
"Whether Gentle is a visionary or a drunk, whether the salamander is a creature of flesh or a shared delusion, and ultimately, the meaning of the mission is as much about human frailty and grace as the nightmares that stalk the page."
A starred review for The Great Work from @publisherswkly.bsky.social!
"This is a weird western done right: surprising, bizarre, occasionally grim, but ultimately life-affirming."
"This is a weird western done right: surprising, bizarre, occasionally grim, but ultimately life-affirming."
The Great Work by Sheldon Costa
Debut novelist Costa sets this astounding tale of alchemy, prophecy, and adventure in Washington’s Olympic Peninsula in 1889. Ge...
www.publishersweekly.com
October 1, 2025 at 1:50 PM
A starred review for The Great Work from @publisherswkly.bsky.social!
"This is a weird western done right: surprising, bizarre, occasionally grim, but ultimately life-affirming."
"This is a weird western done right: surprising, bizarre, occasionally grim, but ultimately life-affirming."
The verdict is in: my book is not annoying!
Love this writeup of @sheldoncosta.bsky.social’s The Great Work, which yes you do need to read this fall: “There’s a very classic sensibility to the novel, by which I mean it’s kind of about everything in the way that the great novels of yore tended to be. But not in an annoying way!”
15 Novels You Need to Read This Fall
The weather is changing (well, sort of), the pumpkin spice lattes are beckoning, the kids are back in school, all of which clearly indicates that it’s big book season yet again. And hey, we m…
lithub.com
September 9, 2025 at 6:48 PM
The verdict is in: my book is not annoying!
Oof. Feeling this one.
I just want to say that I hate everything about publishing a novel this fall; the world is on fire, my city is occupied, and I’m supposed to sell some characters I made up in my head to the 13 percent of people who still know how to read books
August 23, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Oof. Feeling this one.
Cool that the democratic consultant class has built its "abundance" messaging around how great Texas is when every headline I see out of that state is some variation of "A lack of regulation brought a new data center to this small town. But now its slowly driving everyone nearbye insane."
July 30, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Cool that the democratic consultant class has built its "abundance" messaging around how great Texas is when every headline I see out of that state is some variation of "A lack of regulation brought a new data center to this small town. But now its slowly driving everyone nearbye insane."
Reposted by Sheldon Costa
Y’all, one of the great joys of bookshop.org is that you can select a bookstore to buy from—pick a fav from a city you used to live in, or a bookstore you’ve always wanted to visit, or your local! If you pick BINC, a percentage goes to indie booksellers who have applied for financial relief. ❤️
July 8, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Y’all, one of the great joys of bookshop.org is that you can select a bookstore to buy from—pick a fav from a city you used to live in, or a bookstore you’ve always wanted to visit, or your local! If you pick BINC, a percentage goes to indie booksellers who have applied for financial relief. ❤️
Jess is an absolute rockstar! Genuinly one of the smartest people I've ever had the privledge of working with. Huge opportunity here if you're looking for an editor.
Today was my last day at Quirk—which means I finally have time for freelance editing clients! If you’re developing a book at any stage please get in touch and we can discuss how I can help www.jesszimmerman.com/editing.html
July 1, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Jess is an absolute rockstar! Genuinly one of the smartest people I've ever had the privledge of working with. Huge opportunity here if you're looking for an editor.
Huge news for people who like good books!!
Sitewide Summer Sale right now at @nyrb-imprints.bsky.social (yes, this includes Dorothy titles)!
Buy 2 books and save 20%; 3 books and save 30%; or 4 or more books and save 40%.
www.nyrb.com/collections/...
Buy 2 books and save 20%; 3 books and save 30%; or 4 or more books and save 40%.
www.nyrb.com/collections/...
Dorothy, a publishing project
Dorothy, a publishing project is a St. Louis–based feminist publisher of innovative fiction, near-fiction, and literary criticism. They publish two books per year, together in the fall, in beautiful p...
www.nyrb.com
June 20, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Huge news for people who like good books!!
Yeah, it’s called writing a novel
June 16, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Yeah, it’s called writing a novel
“This is just a distraction” yeah it’s distracting me from being fucking miserable, bud
June 5, 2025 at 9:10 PM
“This is just a distraction” yeah it’s distracting me from being fucking miserable, bud
Reposted by Sheldon Costa
Such beauty in life
June 5, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Such beauty in life
Genuinly not trying to be mean but if you think describing a "secret paranormal fish hospital for nyads" sounds boring maybe you just don't really like writing all that much?
Yes, I think a lot about this self-pub writer who said they use AI to write things like "setting" and "description" which they don't find interesting instead of... figuring out how to write something interesting?
bsky.app/profile/pete...
bsky.app/profile/pete...
May 17, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Genuinly not trying to be mean but if you think describing a "secret paranormal fish hospital for nyads" sounds boring maybe you just don't really like writing all that much?
Big second on this!!! My book would not be nearly as good if it weren’t for @jesszimmerman.com. It’s such a special privilege to get to work with someone who seems to know your work better than you do.
GOD this is so real, shoutout to the amazing @jesszimmerman.com for making my books good, an editor you can trust is an absolute treasure
There really is little better as a writer than being edited well. What a joy! What a relief! What a pleasure to have someone make me seem smarter and more articulate than I am!
May 15, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Big second on this!!! My book would not be nearly as good if it weren’t for @jesszimmerman.com. It’s such a special privilege to get to work with someone who seems to know your work better than you do.