Such placement received scrutiny from readers and media outlets, as no one had previously heard of the book and that it had released the week prior. The book displaced Angie Thomas's The Hate U Give, which had previously held that rank for several months. On August 27, 2017, Handbook for Mortals appeared on The New York Times Bestseller list, in the number one ranking. New York Times Bestseller List placement The cover featured artwork that critics claimed was plagiarized from Australian artist Gill Del Mace's The Knife Thrower III, as the artwork appeared to have been traced over and recoloured. Handbook for Mortals was first published in ebook and hardback formats through Geeknation Press on August 16, 2017.

The Knife Thrower III by Gill Del Mace, the original work that was allegedly plagiarized for the cover art of Handbook for Mortals She eventually re-wrote it as a novel, while also still intending for it to have a film adaptation. Lani Sarem initially wrote Handbook for Mortals as a screenplay for a film proposal.

This is proven to be false, particularly as Zade discovers that Charles is actually her long-lost father. While alluring to men, Zade questions the prospects of a 'mixed' relationship with a mortal man, and fails to get along with Sophia, one of the female performers, whom she calls ugly and treats with disdain.ĭuring a magic show, Zade performs a stunning illusion but then falls into a coma after exerting herself without her 'anchor' and lover, Mac, a fellow performer, who suspected that Zade was having an illicit affair with the elderly head stage magician, Charles Spellman. The one exception is Zeb, a magician with whom she is constantly at odds.

She forges romantic connections with several men, both her fellow troupe members and other men such as Carrot Top, relishing having several men 'constantly fawning over' her. She decides to leave home in the hopes of discovering her identity and breaking away from an overprotective mother, in the process joining a Las Vegas troupe of eccentric stage magicians and performers. The novel follows the adventures of Scheherazade 'Zade' Esther Holder, a twenty-five-year-old woman who comes from a family of folk magic practitioners in a small Tennessee town. The New York Times subsequently removed the book from its rankings. An investigation into the novel by author Phil Stamper showed evidence that the book's placement was achieved through manipulation, such as unusual bulk ordering sales. The title received media attention for its placement on The New York Times Best Seller list in 2017, as the book was not readily available in brick-and-mortar stores, the author had never published before, and the book was not well-known. Handbook for Mortals is a 2017 young adult fantasy romance novel by Lani Sarem, first published by Geeknation Press in 2017 and subsequently mass-printed as a hardcover book.

Lani sarem handbook for mortals