YALLFest 2026 Schedule

So excited for YALLFest this weekend! I'm especially thrilled and honored to be giving the very first ROMFest Keynote, in conversation with Tricia Levenseller! (ROMFest is the brand-new Romantasy track at YALLFest.) This Keynote is open to all (no advance ticket required), and it will take place on Saturday 11/14 at 11am in the American Theater. Hope to see you there!

Also, I just learned that Fierce Reads will be giving away ARCs of my upcoming kids book THE IMAGITORIUM at their booth on Festival day (11/14)! Tickets for the giveaway will be available from the Fierce Reads booth starting at 9am on Saturday.

See you soon, Charleston!

https://www.yallfest.org/authors-26/sarah-beth-durst

Cover Reveal for THE NINTH LIFE OF AN ERSTWHILE WITCH

COVER REVEAL!!! I’m so excited to share the gorgeous cover of THE NINTH LIFE OF AN ERSTWHILE WITCH, my forthcoming cozy fantasy about a 28-year-old retired war sorceress and her rescued magical cats! Think Galadriel goes cottagecore!

Cover illustration: Simone Ferriero (SimzArt)
Cover design: Jess Kiley

Coming 7/13/27 and now available for preorder: http://sarahbethdurst.com/NinthLife.htm

Cosmo Cover Reveal!!!

COSMO COVER REVEAL!!! Head over to Cosmopolitan.com for their exclusive reveal of the cover for THE NINTH LIFE OF AN ERSTWHILE WITCH, my forthcoming cozy fantasy about a 28-year-old retired war sorceress and her rescued magical cats! Think Galadriel goes cottagecore! Out July 13, 2027! Now available for preorder!

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/books/a74340235/sarah-beth-durst-the-ninth-life-of-an-erstwhile-witch-cover-reveal/

Indies Choice Book Awards - Young Adult Shortlist

To my complete and total shock and delight, I just found out that THE FARAWAY INN made the shortlist for the Indies Choice Book Awards in the YA category!!! Thanks so much, independent booksellers! And congratulations to all the other finalists! Please remember to support these wonderful booksellers by shopping at your local independent bookstore!

https://www.bookweb.org/indies-choice-book-awards

NYCC 2026

So excited for New York Comic Con!!! I'll be there on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday! 3 panels! 6 signings! ARC giveaways of both THE IMAGITORIUM and THE MAGICAL CHEESE EMPORIUM!!! Hope to see you there! 

Brian Froud's Green Women

Absolutely honored to have contributed a piece to BRIAN FROUD'S GREEN WOMEN, which is out today from Abrams! Brian and Wendy Froud's art shaped my childhood -- they're the artists who created the worlds and characters in The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, two films I've watched so many times they're imprinted on my soul. It was such a joy and honor to be asked to be a part of this magical book!

https://www.abramsbooks.com/product/brian-frouds-green-women_9781419783746/

Barnes & Noble Best Books of 2026 Science Fiction & Fantasy

Real-time transcript of my brain processing this image: What??? Wait. What? How? Whoa! OMG! Woohoo! Thanks so much, B&N! Thanks so much, incredible readers!!! What???

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/the-best-science-fiction-fantasy-books-of-2026

Half a Year on the Indie Bestseller List!

THE FARAWAY INN hit the Indie Bestseller List yesterday, for the TWENTY-SIXTH week in a row!!! Half a year! I’m flabbergasted! Indie booksellers — and their customers — are absolutely wonderful!!! Thanks so much!!!

Fall 2026 In-Person Events

Happy Autumnal Equinox!!! Here's where to find me this fall! Will I see you there? Info here: http://sarahbethdurst.com/appearances.htm

YALLFest 2026

So excited to announce that I'll be at YALLFest this year!!! Will I see you there?

Check out this incredible author lineup: https://www.yallfest.org/authors

The Ninth Life of an Erstwhile Witch - available to preorder

Now available for preorder! My forthcoming cozy fantasy about a 28-year-old retired war sorceress and her rescued magical cats! So many magical cats! Think Galadriel goes cottagecore! Coming July 13, 2027!

http://sarahbethdurst.com/NinthLife.htm

Goodreads Giveaway for THE IMAGITORIUM

Goodreads giveaway for THE IMAGITORIUM, my forthcoming children's book about a girl and her imaginary friend who set off to save a magical factory full of fantastic creatures! Think Willy Wonka meets Howl's Moving Castle meets Build-A-Bear for imaginary friends! Out 3/2/27! Giveaway ends Sept 28.

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/445584-the-imagitorium

New Book Deal!!!

NEW BOOK DEAL!!! I'm super excited to announce that I sold three new cozy fantasy books to my editors at Bramble/Tor in the US and the UK! The first one, set in a brand new fantasy world, is about a 28-year-old retired war sorceress and her rescued magical cats! So. Many. Magical. Cats. Think Galadriel goes cottagecore! It's called THE NINTH LIFE OF AN ERSTWHILE WITCH and is coming out in July 2027!!! And did I mention it's going to have gorgeous stenciled edges!!! The other two books are the fifth and sixth books in the Spellshop series, both of which are planned for publication in 2028! I'm so thrilled that I get to play in a new world while also diving deeper into the world of THE SPELLSHOP! It's literally the best of both worlds! NINTH LIFE is currently available for preorder from some retailers (including Bookshop.org and BN.com) and will become available for preorder from others over the next month or so!

http://sarahbethdurst.com/NinthLife.htm

The Adirondack Family Book Festival 2026

I'm headed to Lake Placid, NY on Saturday (8/15) for The Adirondack Family Book Festival! Join us at the Olympic Oval from 9:30am to 4:00pm!

https://adirondackfamilybookfestival.com/

Happy UK Book Birthday to SEA OF CHARMS!

Today is the UK Book Birthday of SEA OF CHARMS!!! Yayyy!!! I am so excited for readers in the UK to dive back into the world of THE SPELLSHOP and join Marin, Dax, Perri, and Ree as they sail the Crescent Islands!

https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/sarah-beth-durst/sea-of-charms/9781035079520

SEA OF CHARMS is an instant New York Times, USA Today, and Indie Bestseller!!!

OMG!!! My editors just called to tell me that SEA OF CHARMS hit the New York Times Hardcover Fiction (No. 5), New York Times Combined Print & E-Book Fiction (No. 8), USA Today (No. 6), and Indie Hardcover Fiction (No. 7) bestseller lists!!!!! I'm sobbing!!! THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH!!! And so many thanks to my wonderful agent Andrea Somberg, my incredible editors Ali Fisher and Dianna Vega, and the entire magnificent publishing team at Bramble/Tor/Macmillan! I can't believe this is my life, and I am so grateful to all my readers for making it a reality! I promise to keep writing as many books as my fingers can type for as long as you all want to read them! And to be honest, I'll almost certainly keep writing them long after that! I love you all so much!!!

August 2026 Events

I'm home from my SEA OF CHARMS book tour and excited for all the awesome book events I've got lined up this month! Hope to see you there! http://sarahbethdurst.com/appearances.htm

SEA OF CHARMS comes out today!!!

Today is the book birthday for my new cozy fantasy, SEA OF CHARMS!!!

I wrote this book to be an escape for anyone who needs it -- and to be a reminder that there's wonder, hope, and love to be found amidst life's fires and storms.

It's about a sailor named Marin who takes to the sea with her crew (a singing sea serpent, a world-famous musician, and a shrub who loves the sea) in hopes of starting over. Set against the backdrop of a revolution, SEA OF CHARMS is about finding your crew, your family, and yourself. 

At its heart, it's about choosing your own happiness.

SEA OF CHARMS takes place in the world of THE SPELLSHOP and THE ENCHANTED GREENHOUSE -- it's a standalone so you don't have to have read the prior books (though if you have, you will see some familiar faces!). It has absolutely gorgeous cover art by Lulu Chen, as well as beautiful blue sprayed edges.

Thank you to everyone at Bramble and Macmillan for bringing this book to life and for being such a joy to work with! I loved every second of writing this book, and I am incredibly excited for readers to join Marin and her crew as they sail to new islands, discover new wonders, and find hope, joy, love, friendship, winged cats, talking plants, and prize-winning peach pie!

Happy sailing!

http://sarahbethdurst.com/SeaofCharms.htm

YA Midwest Book Fest

This Saturday, July 25, I'll be at the YA Midwest Book Festival, hosted by Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville, IL! I'll be doing four fantastic panels and a signing! I can't wait! Hope to see you there!

https://andersonsbookshop.com/event/2026-07-25/ya-midwest-2026

SEA OF CHARMS Book Tour

I'm SO excited to be heading out on book tour for SEA OF CHARMS next week!!! I can't wait to see you all in Long Island, Brooklyn, Atlanta, Indiana, Denver, Los Angeles, and Portland!!! It's going to be so much fun! Will I see you there? Tickets and info here: http://sarahbethdurst.com/appearances.htm